A New Family Member
by ObsidianWing
Summary: Light gets a chance to meet L's family in the Wammy house when he moves to England to live and work alongside him. The only problem... is his successors. (I really hate writing summaries - -)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello faithful readers! I decided to get back into writing more fanfics now that summer has officially started for me. I kinda got the idea for this fanfic from my cousin, who's a fan of LxLight (as well as myself) so sit back and enjoy the ride.**_

_**Just so you're all clear, the Kira case and Death Note itself has never happened in this fic.**_

_**Please enjoy, and reviews are welcomed! :)**_

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**(Light P.O.V)**

I was still running on fumes while we sat in the car. Though L had a private plane – no surprise – it didn't stop the fact that it was an eleven hour ride from Japan to England. I don't regret the decision to go with him though. I was just happy my family was okay with it. Hell, Sayu was jumping up and down from excitement at me running off with him. My mother was happy but shed more than a few tears at seeing me go. My father, on the other hand, was who I worried about most. He took the news about my departure pretty lightly, but he wasn't too happy with my relationship to begin with. He started getting used to the idea over time, but I still felt like I had to tiptoe around him after introducing him to L, who had been under the guise of Ryuzaki.

It wasn't until a week ago before I learned who he really was.

"Light, you're nodding off again."

I shook my head. "Huh? Oh, was I?"

"We'll be at Wammy's soon, so you can rest when we get there."

"Said the insomniac." I muttered, drifting off again.

"You know you love me."

I had to grin at that. He wasn't wrong. Why else would I be here in the first place?

I'd met L a few months before I graduated high school. He had been known under the name Ryuzaki and it had been my job to show him around school, under the order of the principal. I was an honour student but he didn't exactly take too kindly to me when we met. I thought he was just downright weird, where he thought of me as a pompous airhead. After the first day, we never really talked again. Not until a few days later when I was forced to become his partner and sit beside him for a week. Turns out we were more like-minded than we thought.

During that week I had found out that there was more to him than I first thought. We shared the work evenly – which was a blessing considering all the times I was forced to do all the work because my partner was lazy – and I learned about his strong sense of justice. All in all, within the end of that week, I hadn't wanted to sit anywhere else in that class.

Time passed and by the end of the school year we were more than considered a couple. The personal displays of affection were limited while in public, but I more than proved my feelings towards him. Misa and Takeda were happy to see things work out, but were more than a little pouty about me being taken. By a guy no less.

When we graduated, he let the secret slip about him being L, the world's greatest detective. I hadn't believed him, of course, until he proved it by introducing me to Watari and showing me his headquarters he'd set up at the beginning of the year. Turns out, he was actually in my high school to avoid detection while he solved a case on the side. Why had he shown me all this? Because just a week later he'd be leaving for England again…

And… well… now I'm here.

"You know, Light, you didn't have to come with me. I've heard people continuing relationships from a distance before."

"That's different, Ryuzaki." I yawned out. I continued to use the name he'd been using while in my school if only because I liked it a bit more than L. "Most people, in a distant relationship, have points within months where they can meet because they're only a few miles apart. With us, however, we'd be reduced to speaking with each other through our laptops. It's not exactly a committed relationship that way. Besides, you did ask if I wanted to join you."

"To be honest, I didn't think your dad would allow it. He practically screamed at you when you introduced me."

"He didn't scream. He just… spoke. Very loudly."

The dark haired man huffed a chuckle. A rarity with him. "Sure, Light. Whatever you say."

"Are you unhappy that I'm here with you?"

L only grinned as he unhinged from his, rather abnormal, sitting position to lay down on the seat with his head on my lap. "Absolutely not, Light. I just worried that this decision would impact your future. You did want to become a policeman after all."

"Because I couldn't become 'L' himself, which was a dream of mine since I was a child." I chuckled out, putting an arm on the detective to stabilize him. "You know this is incredibly unsafe, correct?"

"Not so. Wammy is an excellent driver and I trust him with my life. But you've deterred from our topic."

I rolled my eyes. "I still can't believe you're the man behind the letter. L himself who has solved over a hundred crimes without trouble, since he was merely an eight year old."

"I was a very smart eight year old, thank you very much."

"As was I, but I hadn't reached fame like yours at that age. I admired everything you did ever since I could remember."

"And here you are, moving in with your hero. How does it feel?"

I rolled my eyes again. "I'm moving in with the man I fell for in high school. You being L has nothing to do with it."

"I would think that it helps."

I sighed a bit. "I don't suppose you could tell how and why I fell for you."

"Many reasons, actually. I can tell by the way you act around females is that they aren't worth your time. This would indicate the first reason you fell for me…"

"This gonna take long?" I asked tiredly.

"Quite possibly."

"Then never mind. I'm too tired today."

"Then should I prepare you for what to expect when we get to Wammy's?"

I thought about it for a few moments before agreeing. "Sure, why not. I think it's best that you start with your successors though."

"Near, Matt, and Mello." He stated, as if trying to convince himself that it was indeed the right thing to coach me about. "I suppose you are correct. The three haven't heard anything much about you, and they're more than protective of me."

"What with your vast experience with relationships and everything." I commented sarcastically.

L shifted his weight a bit. "There were a few before you, Light. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh? And how did they turn out?"

"To put it simply, not very well. I can remember a very stupid girl that barely lasted a week, a few imbecilic men that weren't exactly my type…" he paused for a moment. "And the last one… wasn't exactly a kind man."

At my questioning about what happened, he merely shook it off. "It's in the past, Light. But at the moment you should learn more about my successors.

"Let's see," he began. "Near is a very smart child, and is currently number one in the orphanage. He's new, but has proven his abilities. He's also six at the moment, but has proven to be very intelligent. He's in the advanced groups along with Matt and Mello. He's a bit of a loner, though. But I don't think he'd mind if you asked to play a game of chess with him."

"Impressive. Do you know anything about him from before the Wammy house?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself. I don't know that it would be fair of me to be speaking about something as personal as that.

"Matt," he continued, "Is a very lax child. He's been at the Wammy house for a while now, a year less than Mello though. He doesn't stress too easily and is practically inseparable from Mello. The two have been friends for years now which is almost refreshing to see nowadays. I highly doubt that he won't like you, considering he's friendly towards almost everyone he meets."

"Well, that's good news. But what about Mello? How is he?"

L was silent for a few seconds, making me feel uncomfortable. "Well… he's a very passionate child. And when you're on his good side he's almost like Matt."

"But…?" I added, paving the way for him to continue.

He sighed. "But rarely is he ever in a good mood. In fact, only Matt, myself, and Watari are on his good side, and he's been at the Wammy house for nearly four years. I doubt he'll be too friendly with you in the beginning… especially since he's more than protective of me."

"Isn't he only eight? How much damage can he really do?"

L sat up then. "Let me put it to you this way; Roger has threatened time and time again to have him removed from the Wammy house for fear he may maim one of the other children."

I didn't like the sound of that. "So he's got a temper? That's not reassuring."

"Well there's not much I can do about it. He'll be fine if he's around me, but he may not be too kind to you."

I sighed at the thought. "I suppose I'll have to mentally prepare myself then."

L only shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt. You have a better chance at survival since you're as smart as them… by a bit."

A growl surfaced through my hazy state. I was falling into slumber again.

"Plus it doesn't hurt that you're fine with kids."

"I did my fair share of babysitting, this is true. I doubt they're worse than Sayu though."

"What do you mean?"

I scoffed. "I had to babysit her when she was ten, and by the end of the night she had me tied to a chair slapping makeup on me."

L chuckled a bit. "You got beaten by a girl." He muttered. "A small girl, no less."

"Shove it." I said tiredly.

Only a few more miles until we were at the Wammy house. The sun was rising, and by the time we arrived all the kids would be awake and ready to greet him. Well… all but one.

But, how bad could Mello really be?


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Warning, sucky chapter alert. Story Will get better with time.**_

_**Reviews welcomed**_

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

"Please! Stop it! I'll tell Roger!"

I didn't listen. I just kept on punching him. What did I care if he told Roger on me? Stupid kid doesn't even know how to properly defend himself.

Finally, after what felt like the thousandth time I hit him, I picked him up by the collar. The guy was a year older than me and had peed his pants out of fright.

"Say it." I commanded in a low growl.

The dirty blonde boy in my hand turned his bloodied face to the redhead behind me. "S-s-sorry."

I then threw him to the ground. "Now get out of here!"

The guy's response was him running into the orphanage. Probably to tell Roger on me. Coward.

I turned to Matt. "You okay?"

He nodded, a bit shook up. "I'm alright. Thanks for defending me."

I picked up his goggles before I walked to his side to sit beside him. "Why didn't you do anything?"

I handed over his goggles which he almost immediately put back on his face. His eyes were too sensitive to light and he needed them on almost twenty-four seven. When I'd heard that someone had been taking them from him, I'd acted immediately.

No one harassed my Matt.

"I told Roger, but that only got me into more trouble with him."

"Well, I doubt he'll be bothering you anymore." I hugged Matt as closely as I could. "I'm sorry I didn't act sooner."

He hugged me back. "Don't even worry about it, Mels. It wasn't your fight to begin with anyway."

"Well if you won't defend yourself, then I'll have to instead." I announced while punching his arm playfully.

Matt only laughed. "Thanks, Mello."

Just as I was about to hug him again…

"Mello!"

I winced at the voice. "Roger."

"He sounds mad."

"He's sounded that way since I arrived here." I said as I rose from my seat. "But I'm sure there's no connection."

I ran over to the old man as fast as I could, already planning my way out of punishment. I had a way with words when it came to getting out of trouble.

Or a less severe punishment. Whichever one managed to arise in conversation.

I skidded to a halt in front of the greying old man. My blonde hair tied back so I could properly see my tall enemy in front of me.

That's not fair. Roger isn't _really_ and enemy.

But he's not much of an ally either.

I looked up at him. "Yes Roger? What is it you need?"

"Oh don't play that innocent face." He seethed. "Oren just ran into my office with a bloody nose! He says you punched him repeatedly for no reason!"

"No reason! That guy was picking on Matt! I was defending my friend! Plus…" I paused, crossing my arms. "He called me a girl."

"For the love of…" Roger growled. "You can't just start a fight with someone because they called you a girl!"

"Why not!?"

"Because it's not right!"

"It sure felt right."

"Mello!" He exclaimed. "I don't care if you're one of L's successors, you can't just cross the line like that! Everyone here should feel they have a safe environment and…"

I zoned out at that point. I was beginning to get bored with Roger's prattling. Honestly I'd heard this spiel over a thousand times now. I couldn't help it if I was passionate enough to defend my loved ones. And, let's face it, not many people were worth my time. The fact that I took any time at all on someone was a rarity in itself. Matt was one of the only people who had my complete and undivided attention, because he deserved it.

Roger noticed I wasn't paying attention and went to grab my arm, but I quickly pulled away. I hated being touched by people. Matt and L were an exception, but Roger was not. I didn't know the reason why I hated to be touched, but it was an issue I dealt with alone.

I dealt with a lot of issues on my own.

My anger being one of them.

Roger only sighed now. "I don't have time to deal with you right now, so just stay out of trouble for the rest of the day. L's new boyfriend doesn't need you to harass him the moment he enters the door."

I jolted at the word. "Boyfriend? When di L get a boyfriend?"

Matt suddenly appeared beside me. "I heard the word, and I have to know if it's real!"

Always happy. How on earth was he able to go from sad as rain to happy as sunshine in ten seconds flat? I may never know.

"Yes, Matt. L's bringing his boyfriend home to live with us."

"Cool! Is he from Japan!? Maybe we can play a few games together!"

"Matt! Get serious here! L can't have a boyfriend!"

"Why not?" He asked somberly.

"Because he's L. He doesn't need a boyfriend or companion. He works alone. Furthermore, no one on earth will ever be good enough for him."

"That's enough, Mello." Roger spoke up. "You will behave yourself when they arrive. Just like Matt and Near."

I growled at the last name. Near. That egg-headed, albino, freak. Six years old and he's already surpassed me in every class. He's barely been here six months and already he's got everyone wrapped around his pinky.

Speak of the devil.

The little white haired boy himself shuffled passed Roger and looked up at him. He then handed Roger a note which looked as if to be written by another teacher at the school. His oversized pajamas made it impossible for him to hold the note – or anything for that matter – without using his sleeves.

After reading the note, Roger sighed. "I have some pressing matters to take care of right now, so please try not to get into trouble anymore, Mello. At least for today."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

And with that, the old man left. The albino stayed though, much to my annoyance.

I didn't like Near all too much… but it was the complete opposite for him.

When he first arrived at the Wammy house, and Matt, L, and I went to see him, he immediately became attached to me for some reason. Wherever I went, he followed. Whatever I did, he did as well. He was somewhat a natural six year old, but I wasn't pleased at how fast he managed to surpass me.

In short, I hated him.

Near walked up to me and Matt. "Hello."

Matt was the only one to respond. "Hey Near. You done with classes today?"

He nodded. "Could I hang out with you guys for a bit? The playroom is full."

Before I had a chance to say anything, Matt nodded happily. "Sure thing!"

I groaned unhappily. "Your kindness will be our downfall, I just know it."

"C'mon Mel. Near wants to hang out with us."

"So?"

Matt pulled me into a side-hug along with Near. "So, let's hang out!"

I squirmed as hard as I could to break free from his grip, but sadly he was much stronger than me.

There were many times I was happy that Matt was so positive. Especially if I was having a bad day and chocolate would not help me. But today, was not one of them.

"Could we get serious for a second here!?" I said, finally breaking free of his grip. "L is bringing home a guy we have absolutely no knowledge of. And you're okay with that?!"

"Oh come off it, Mel." Matt said, smile still plastered on his face. "You never know, he could be a nice guy."

"Like the others?"

Matt only shrugged. "Just give him a chance. You might like him."

"I doubt that immensely."

Suddenly, Near spoke up. "What if he abuses L?"

Matt shook his head. "You really think he'd let that happen?"

"You really think _I'd_ let that happen?" I added.

Near only crossed his arms behind him. "I'm just saying…"

"Look," Matt projected. "Whoever this guy is, we have to give him a chance, for L's sake. It's only fair."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. As long as he doesn't call me a girl like that last one did."

"To be fair, Mel, you were wearing a dress that day."

"Excuse me! Who dared me to wear it for Halloween!?"

Matt snickered a little. "I didn't think you'd actually wear it."

Before I could throw a punch at the red-head we heard a honk come from the front of the orphanage. It was L's limousine.

Matt looked towards the horn, then back to me. "Race you to the foyer!"

Before I could agree to the race, he was already gone.

"You cheat!" I yelled as I raced after him.

I heard Near call after us. "Hey, wait for me!"

"No way! Speed up or pass up, twerp!" I called back before switching gears and running faster.

I'd get a look at this new boyfriend of L's when I got to the foyer. But right now, all I wanted to do was beat Matt. To be completely honest, I hadn't expected who I'd seen arm in arm with L.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Light P.O.V)**

Upon first glance at the Wammy house all I could do was admire in awe of it all. It was grandiose and happy looking, and the sounds of happy children could be heard coming from the courtyard. The grass was green and well taken care of, flowers grew every which way and that. It was so peaceful here it was uncanny. It was definitely different from the city scene I was accustomed to back home.

Once I stepped out of the car I was bombarded with the smell of roses in the garden. I was a bit dizzy from the fresh air, considering the city smells I grew up with, but I soon became accustomed to it all.

I felt a hand slip into my own. "Come with me, Light. I have a feeling my successors are awaiting us."

"I suppose they're your biggest fans?" I joked.

He only shrugged. "I suppose you could call them that. But they are my brother's, of sorts, so why wouldn't they be waiting for me?"

"Your brothers. So you're closer to them than you let on."

We stepped through the gate and walked towards the steps now.

"Well, Light, considering I spend most of my time around them while I'm here, they have grown on me. I'm glad to know my legacy will befall onto one of them."

Right as he placed a hand on the doorknob a loud crash broke out through the door, along with a few muffled voices.

"You dork! You did that on purpose!"

"Why would I break something on purpose!?"

The man in front of me sighed, slouching just a bit more than before. "Then there are time's I remember they're little kids, with destructive abilities."

"They can't be _that_ bad."

As if to prove a point, he swung the door open to reveal a gigantic mess in the foyer of the orphanage. A torn pillow with feathers everywhere, mud on the walls, a broken plant pot, and a lamp hanging from the small chandelier. It was like a frat party had come and gone in a matter of seconds and destroyed the place.

I covered my mouth to stop from laughing. If anything it reminded me of the shenanigans that my sister Sayu and I got into when our parents were out. More times than not, we got away with it.

That's when I saw two little boys wrestling each other through the feathers while another watched onward from the stairs. All three of them were different in many ways. One had white hair and was dressed in oversized pajamas and was about the size of a small toddler. This one caught my attention almost immediately because the way he held onto his teddy bear was too adorable.

The two boys wrestling on the ground were the second ones I noticed. One had red hair and goggles with a bright smile on his face, while the other had long blonde hair that was tied back and was dressed mostly in dark clothes.

I could already tell that my time here was going to be eventful… to say the least.

The white haired boy noticed us first and ran to hug L. I couldn't help but gush at the sight of L hugging this little child with the tiny teddy bear.

While the other two boys continued to wrestle and throw insults at each other, L introduced me to the child.

"Light, this is Near." He picked up the albino so he'd be eye level with me. "Near, this is Light."

I smiled at the little boy in his arms, too overcome with cuteness to speak.

The six year old took a glance at me, then grinned a bit. "Hi."

The voice was too much. He was something pulled out of a story book and made to make cuteness an art form.

"Hello Near. L has said much about you."

He then looked at L.

"Don't look at me like that. I've said nothing but good things."

Near then looked back at me and grinned again.

L then passed him off to me. "Hold this while I separate the other two."

I happily obliged, and the moment he was put into my arms he cuddled under my chin and held me close.

One out of three isn't too bad. Especially with a cutie like Near. Sayu would be jealous to all hell if she found out he existed. She lived off of being the cute on in our household. No wonder she got away with so much.

I watched as L waited for the boys to come rolling in front of him before he poked the red-heads side to make him release his grip. Before the blonde could retaliate, he picked him up under his arm and carried him towards me. The red head stayed lying on the floor.

"Matt, this is Light. Light, Matt."

Matt just huffed. "'Sup."

I chuckled at the boy. "Nice to meet you." I was happy to know my English wasn't too terrible.

"Likewise. Sorry I can't shake your hand right now, but I was fighting for my life."

"I saw that. Any reason why?"

"'Cause Mello is a sore loser."

"I am not! You cheated!" Came the response from the blond under L's arm.

L then introduced the last boy. "Light, meet Mello. Mello, Light."

The blonde looked up at me but only groaned a bit.

_'Well, I was warned about him.'_ I thought to myself.

The red head known as Matt finally stood up and walked over to me. "So you're the one Roger mentioned to us?"

I looked at L. "Roger?"

L shifted the blonde boy under his arm. "Roger is like a principal of sorts here. He keeps the orphanage together when Watari isn't here. I told him you'd be living with us and to get our room ready before we arrived."

"I like him, L." Near spoke up. "He's nice."

"Kiss arse." The blonde muttered.

L then dropped him from where he was holding him creating a loud thump to echo through the foyer. "I heard that, Mello."

The blonde only groaned as he picked himself off the ground, feathers adorning his mess of hair.

Just then, an older man walked into the room and was taken aback by the enormous mess caused by the two boys. Something told me that this was the Roger they had mentioned, since both Mello and Matt hid behind their mentor L.

"L! You're back early! I apologize for this mess, I'll get it cleaned right away…"

"Perhaps Mello and Matt should help you, Roger." L stated.

The two boys groaned but L's sharp gaze made them stop.

"An excellent idea."

I set down Near. "And perhaps L and I will assist them."

The raven haired man looked at me incredulously. "Excuse me, Light? We didn't cause this mess…"

"No, but as soon as you entered the door you did nothing to stop it from getting worse until ten minutes later. Besides, you should set a good example for them."

Roger then piped up. "But Light, you're our guest…"

"If I'm going to be staying here, I should have a hand in the work. I don't mind cleaning up a few feathers. I've had to clean up worse back home when my sister and I had parties while our parents were out. Believe me, this is nothing."

Roger seemed impressed with my wanting to help. Even more so in getting L to help out as well.

"Alright then. I shall fetch the cleaning supplies." And with that he was off.

L didn't seem too pleased. "You just had to get me involved with this, didn't you?"

"You're partially responsible for letting them continue to wrestle and break things."

"They're kids, they should fight it out sometimes."

I only rolled my eyes at him before I felt a tug at my shirt. I looked down to see Matt looking up at me.

When he caught my attention, he smiled happily. "Thanks for offering to help, Light. You really don't have to…"

"I think I do." I said as I turned my head to the chandelier with the lamp stuck in it. "I don't know that the two of you can clean this place by yourselves."

Matt chuckled nervously. "Uh… good point."

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

Light smiled at me before patting my head gently and walking away towards L who was sulking at the thought of having to clean up after us.

I turned to Mello. "Isn't he awesome!? He's gonna help us out!"

Mello just remained silent. He seemed to be quietly judging Light from a distance. I could see it in his eyes. He was confused about why this guy wanted to help us.

"Come on, Mel! You have to admit that it's pretty cool of him to help us out with this mess. Especially when Roger might just as well have yelled at us if he and L left."

Mello hummed. "I suppose. It is better than cleaning everything by ourselves."

I hugged Mello tightly. "So will you give him a chance at least?"

The blonde sighed. "Maybe. But no promises."

I grinned happily. "Who knows, maybe you'll wind up being friends."

"I doubt that very much."

"I don't!"


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Yay! First day and already I have a few fans! Hope you all enjoy the rest of the story. No idea how long it's going to be, but I'll keep writing for as long as I can._  
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**_Reviews much welcomed!_**

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**(L P.O.V)**

Although Light was correct about myself not doing anything to stop the boys as soon as possible, I wasn't too happy with him making me clean their mess. It took four hours to clean everything, and by the time it was all done the sun had started to set. I'd barely even rested myself that day, let alone Light and his jetlag.

The boys thanked us for helping them before running off – probably to cause more havoc – and it was finally time for us to retire for the evening. Well, it was time for Light to retire, anyway. He had nearly collapsed from exhaustion a few times while cleaning, and more than once Matt and Near had begged him to get some sleep. Mello, on the other hand, hadn't said a word.

Roger showed us to our room, which was once my own room until now, and before he even had a chance to change into his sleeping clothes, Light collapsed face first onto the bed. A smile lighting up his face.

"A day and a half I've been awake. I don't know how I did it, but it's a feat for my personal record book."

"It's your own fault for helping clean up that disaster of a mess. Not to mention getting me involved."

"You really think two little boys could have cleaned up that entire mess on their own?"

"They're smart. They'd figure out how."

I could almost feel the eye-roll coming from Light. He did it so often it had to be muscle memory now.

I bit my thumbnail before asking, "Why exactly did you help them? I would've thought you'd be a bit nervous around them on the first day."

Before answering he sat up for bit in order to remove his shirt. I had to admit, I was a very lucky man. Many girls had their eye on Light – and many still did – but he still chose me. And now I got see sights like this practically every day.

I almost felt sorry for those girls back in Japan.

Light rested his head on his hands. "To tell you the truth, I was for a moment when you introduced Near. Being able to hold him put away most of that fear."

"Then you should know that Near is a very picky person. He doesn't let a lot of people hold him. And, despite what Mello said, he wasn't lying when he said he liked you."

A small grin under his tired eyes was managed by him. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. I got worried when you explained more about Mello. But if Near and Matt are alright with me, then two out of three really isn't a bad score."

As he lay his head back down on the pillow, close to slumber now, I crawled up and beside him and lay right next to him. "But Light, you're never okay with an imperfect score. It's usually one hundred percent, or nothing with you."

He turned his head to look at me. "I can't just force a child to like me, Ryuzaki. Especially if they're anything like you, who took more than a month to get used to me."

"Not true. I liked you even before you were a pompous airhead. I just never said anything until a month later."

Once again, another eye-roll. "If you did indeed like me on the first day we met, then why were you insulting me?"

"How do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, when I was introduced as the honour student of my school, you immediately said, 'How much ass kissing did you have to do to earn that title?'"

I thought for a quick second, before shaking my head. "I don't remember that at all."

I lied. I remembered everything from that day. But why give him the ammunition?

"Okay, then what about when we went on a tour of the school and you tripped me?"

"Light, you were just clumsy."

Not true. I tripped him. But only because I saw an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

Light gave me the most incredulous look. "You're just gonna deny everything I say, aren't you?"

I grinned at him. "It's quite the possibility."

Light only groaned in response as he fell back onto the pillow. "I'm too tired to deal with you tonight."

"A victory for me, then."

"Hardly. Once I get some rest you're more than in trouble when it comes to debating."

"Small victories are still victories, Light. They just don't have as much meaning."

Light groaned again as he took his pillow and covered his face. Although his words were muffled, there came a, "I'm going to regret coming here, aren't I?" from under the pillow.

I took the pillow from his face and kissed his forehead. "Yes and no, Light." I then placed the pillow back on his face and left the bed.

At his questioning, I stated that I had a case to look into that night but I'd left my laptop in another room. He made an argument about me not getting any sleep, but I shrugged it off. Unlike him, I was built to stay awake for days on end.

Most times at least.

At the moment I'd opened the door three heads darted around the corner. Had their hair colour been darker than blonde, bright red, and piercing white, they may have gotten away with spying on us.

Had they been smarter to run to their rooms instead of staying by the corner, they would not have faced me.

When I got closer to the corner I heard Matt say in a whisper, "You think he saw us?"

To which Mello replied, "Shut up, Matt!"

I silently sighed before turning the corner. "Oh he definitely saw you three."

Three pairs of eyes went wide at the moment I spoke. Matt and Near looked a little more guilty than Mello which meant the blonde had his own reason for being with them.

Before I could say anything, Mello made his argument.

"Matt and Near didn't come back to our room and I went searching for them. They were listening in on you and that guy in your room."

"You nark!" Matt exclaimed while Near only crossed his arms.

"Thank you for telling me, Mello. But how long ago was this?"

The blonde went silent. Caught in the act.

"Long enough to join them, I see. All of you should go to bed now, it's past your bedtime."

"But we wanna talk to Light!" Matt begged.

"_They_ want to talk to him. I'm going to bed." And with that, the blonde made a move to leave.

"Actually Mello, I'd like to speak with you." I stopped him.

The other two boys smirked at him, as if he were in going to be in trouble. However, I wasn't going to allow them to listen to my conversation this time.

"You two, off to bed. And if I even catch a glimpse of, or have any notion of both of you eavesdropping, I'll personally take away your favourite items from your rooms. This means no gaming devices for you Matt, or your stuffys, Near."

A perfect threat for the two of them. They ran back in the other direction towards their room that they shared together. It was just Mello and myself for the moment.

Before I could speak, Mello tried to defend himself again. "I swear my story is legit! I went looking for them because they weren't there at lights out…"

"I believe you, but that's not what we're talking about right now." I kneeled down until I was eye level with him. "Mello, I want you to try and give Light a chance."

"What! Why?!"

"Because he's not a bad person. And I'm starting to think you're more jealous of him than you are disliking him."

"Jealous? Of what? What does he have for me to be jealous about?"

"You tell me."

The blonde remained silent. He knew if he said nothing than I wouldn't have any ammunition for me to use. There were many reasons why he was here at the Wammy house and not at some other orphanage. He was smart, brilliant even, and I'm glad it was him I found in London that day four years ago.

I sighed a bit. "Mello, he's not going to take me away from you, you know."

"That's not what I'm afraid of. And you know it."

The memories came back to me and flooded my mind. Although it barely lasted a month, it was a month of torture. And I thank whatever holy beings there are in this world today that I had Mello and the others to help me through it all.

I opened my arms a bit and the blonde hugged me tightly. I would never choose favourites among the boys, but Mello had a special place in my heart. He was the first child of the three that I found, and ever since it's been difficult to have even a moment without him around. There were even a few cases he had helped me with. But all in all he was my brother. And I was happy to have him be a part of my life.

"I promise you, Mello, that Light is nothing like that man. Please _try_ to get along with him at least."

A small groan and a huff of defeat came from the blonde. "Fine."

I hugged him a bit tighter in happiness. "Thank you. Now," I proclaimed as I let him go. "You should go to bed. You have classes' tomorrow morning don't you?"

Mello scoffed. "Yeah, easy ones."

"You should still get some rest." I said guiding him to his room. "And make sure Matt and Near stay in bed tonight."

"Do I have permission to tie them to said bed?"

"No, you do not."

Another groan from the blonde. "You're no fun."


	5. Chapter 5

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I woke up breathing heavily. My grey pajamas soaked in sweat causing me to shiver. I was shaking out of fear as well and it caused me to shiver more, especially from the cold air. My nightmares would never seem to cease. It was just one of the few flaws I had on my being. And only I knew what caused them. The problem I faced was that I was too scared to tell anyone.

I'd get over it at some point… maybe.

It was a good thing it was morning, it meant I could grab a chocolate bar before breakfast started. Normally, Roger would hand it to me after breakfast – because of his ever growing fear of me getting diabetes he would limit my chocolate intake – but there were times I'd find out where he was hiding it all, and I'd take one for myself. Today was one of those days, considering I'd found the stash just a day or so ago.

Being careful not to wake up Near or Matt, I slipped on my house shoes and silently left the room. I had shred a room with Matt alone before, but when Near arrived – and hadn't been leaving my side – Roger stuck him in our room. It was alright except for the enormous amount of stuffed animals and toys he had. Not to mention Matt's closet filled halfway to the top with games. I swear, aside from my chocolate addiction, I was the only normal one in that room.

I couldn't run downstairs for fear of waking people up, but I was able to move swiftly and silently thanks to my lessons in stealth that L helped me with. The only thing was, it was the only thing he taught me so far. I'd kill to learn the other martial arts secrets he knows, but I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer.

I made it to the kitchen in no time flat. This kitchen was used by Watari to make and serve food to L, but it's also where my chocolate was hidden most times. Roger would usually hide the jar while we were all sleeping, but I highly doubted that he knew I was aware of where it was this time.

Pulling a chair to one of the cupboards I was about to climb to the jar when…

"What are you doing?"

I jumped at the moment he spoke and almost knocked over a cup that had been on the counter. When I looked towards the voice, I was annoyed to see Light at the doorway.

I mentally growled. He was the last person I wanted to see at this moment, but I did promise L that I would try to get along with him.

_'_Try' being the operative word.

"I could ask you the same thing."

The man scratched his head, mussing up his hair even more. "I came down to grab a drink for me and Ryuzaki."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Who?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, I meant L."

"Oh. I thought the name sounded familiar."

"And you? I asked you what you were doing."

I climbed up from the chair to the counter now. "Grabbing a chocolate bar."

"For breakfast? Why?"

"Why not?" I looked at him. Well… more like glaring.

He only grinned a bit. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. L eats cake for breakfast every single day. It's almost scary how much cake he eats."

He went about his business again while speaking to me, and I went about getting my chocolate. Unfortunately, it looked as Roger had moved the jar once again. Meaning I'd have to wait until after breakfast in the cafeteria to get my bar.

When I slumped into the chair I'd dragged over to the shelf, the over pampered man known as Light noticed this.

"Something wrong?"

I glared at him again, but he didn't seem too fazed by it. "Roger hid my chocolate… again."

He chuckled and I couldn't help but glare at him more.

"What's so funny?"

He cleared his throat. "It's the way you said 'again'. Like Roger is out to get you, so he deliberately hides your chocolate to get back at you."

"That's because he does do that." I argued.

Light only leaned on the counter, brushing down his hair with his hand. "I highly doubt Roger would deliberately hide your chocolate just to spite you. If he were a ten year old, or my sister, then maybe."

"Sister?"

He nodded. "Or as she is well known at the moment, the devil herself. I'm only glad she's not here to give you guys any pointers on how to destroy the house, or throw massive parties."

I sat up on the chair then, trying to analyze him. "You don't seem like the party type."

"Well, I wasn't really the one to throw the parties. I was usually the older brother of the one throwing the parties. Had it not been for my clean records, I'm too sure I'd be the one in trouble each time our house was destroyed."

I found this interested and was about to say something else when a strange smell started wafting in the air. It was strong and dull at the same time, and it nowhere near resembled the smell of tea.

I climbed up on the chair to stand on it and take a look at what he was making. "What's that?"

He turned to the sight of dark water pouring into a pot from a machine. Granted, I've seen the device before and thought it was used for tea, but what was pouring out of it looked nothing like tea. Nor did it smell like tea either.

"Oh that? That's just coffee." He said nonchalantly. "You've never seen coffee before?"

I shook my head. "We're in England. We drink more tea than coffee."

Light shrugged a bit. "It's sort of half and half in Japan I suppose. I just need the coffee to wake me up today. But I'm making tea for L as well."

Like on cue, a loud whining could be heard coming from the teapot on the stove. Light immediately took it off the element and began making the tea for L.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "This is supposed to be Watari's job."

"Watari needs sleep too, you know. It's eight in the morning and he doesn't start to help out L until around nine."

"I've seen him get up in the middle of the night to help out L."

"Perhaps, but I'd rather give the man some rest time and again. He may want to help, but everyone needs rest at some point. L may be built to stay awake for hours on end, but I doubt Watari is capable of such."

I leaned on the chair then. "I suppose."

Right as he was about to say something more, he caught sight of something I couldn't see for myself.

"Mello, what exactly does your hidden chocolate jar look like?"

I was confused for a moment, but I answered. "Uh… round-ish, tall, and the chocolate bars inside are all wrapped in red paper and silver tinfoil."

"Really? Well I think…"

"Mello."

We both looked toward the voice of Roger standing at the doorway. His arms were crossed and he was staring me down angrily.

Before he had a chance to chew me out for trying to get a bar of chocolate, Light stepped in.

"Roger, don't worry he hasn't had a bar yet. He couldn't even find the jar of chocolate you hid. I'd say just send him back to bed. Or better yet," he turned toward Roger hiding his hands behind him. I didn't get why at first until I saw the red paper slowly slip out of his hand and towards me. "He could help me take up L's tea since he's awake."

Roger looked at the two of us before nodding in agreement.

As he jabbered on about how good it was that Light wanted me to help him, I slipped the chocolate out of his hand and hid it under my shirt. Roger never caught on.

"… and if he continues this kind of behaviour, he may actually get on my good side for once." Roger finished.

"Of course." Light agreed, bringing his hands back in front and crossing his arms. "In fact I believe Mello is a good kid anyway. That mess yesterday is nothing compared to what my sister can do. And I believe Matt and Near had a share in the blame as well."

"Yes, I suppose I was a bit harsh to assume it was Mello alone who caused it. And with his actions this morning, I suppose he's made up a good enough apology to you and L."

I nodded as innocently as I could, looking up at Light. "I'm very sorry, Light. I'll help you take L's beverage to his room now."

"Thank you, Mello. We should do that as soon as possible."

"Right," I said as I carefully grabbed L's cup. "Let's go then!"

And with that, we were gone. Leaving a pleased Roger in the Kitchen to hide my jar yet again just in case. I doubt he'd notice the one bar that was missing, but I knew I wasn't going to get this lucky again. It was a rarity that I ever got two bars a day.

As I walked alongside Light, I looked up to grin at him. "You didn't have to do that."

He only shrugged. "You looked like you needed the sugar. I don't think it'll happen again for a while though. Not if Roger is going to keep moving that jar of yours."

"No, but I get two today, so maybe I'll save one for tomorrow morning to lose my tracks a bit before looking for the jar again."

"Smart, but it would be smarter if you stopped showing interest in it. If you did that he'd stop moving it. After he stops moving it, you take one out of the jar every time it got filled. Two if you know it won't be noticeable. You save the ones you take from the full jar for when you really need the sugar. That way, it's a win-win for both you and Roger. He thinks you've become a saint, and you get your chocolate."

I couldn't argue the genius behind that plan and I grinned happily. "I'll take that into consideration. Though, waiting for Roger to stop moving the jar is gonna be a tedious task to accomplish."

"It's well worth the wait though. I used to do the same thing at your age with my mom's baking. She didn't find out about it until years later. She didn't know whether to be proud or upset with me."

This intrigued me. "So, you were a lot like us when you were a kid? Smart, sneaky, and causing mischief."

"Me _and_ my sister. We'd also wrestle a bit like you and Matt, but she'd always pin me because she cheats."

"How so?"

He paused his words as we started up the stairs. "She's threaten to spit on me."

I inwardly cringed at that. Nothing was more disgusting than having someone spit on you. But I had to admit it was a good tactic if you wanted to pin someone in a wrestling match.

Once we made it to the top of the stairs we made our way to the room he shared with L. The door was wide open, showing a hardworking L staring at some type of evidence on his laptop. He hadn't noticed we walked in until I set the cup down next to him on the desk. He seemed confused as to why I was the one bringing him tea until he caught sight of Light behind him.

He didn't have to guess. "Roger hid your chocolate jar again, and Light caught you trying to find it."

I nodded. But then dug into my shirt and pulled out the bar he'd gotten for me. "It seems I've won this certain battle, however."

"For now. Roger is sure to notice at some point. I won't tell, though."

I nodded at the detective. "Is it okay if I stay in here for a bit? I don't want to wait in a quiet room for an hour before breakfast is called."

"Sure thing." Light answered for L. "L's been nothing but focused on his case and some company might be preferable at the moment."

"I've told you before, Light, that this is important…"

"I know, I know. It's still nice to have someone to speak with though. Mello's also quite charming, actually. He reminds me of Sayu."

I glared at him again. "I remind you of a girl?" I warned.

He shook his head. "No, you remind me of my sister. My sister, who's practically my best friend. Besides, she's not much of a girly-girl."

"Unless talking about Hideki Ryuga." L commented, causing Light to glare at him now.

"Please, don't ever mention that name again. I swear, my sister lost her goddamn mind watching his movies."

"That guy's a tool." I remarked as I climbed onto the bed. "Honestly, what do females see in him?"

Light only shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't care to know. I can't exactly waste my time wondering why girls go after men like him, when there are plenty of others who are better than him if they just took the time to look."

"Much like you, Light." L muttered slightly.

Light sat beside me on the bed. "Actually, L, you were more of an accident."

"Oh? Do enlighten me." The detective dared as he continued his work.

"It wasn't like I was looking for a relationship. I was happy being on my own…"

"'on my own' he says." L interrupted. "Yet he forgets his many fangirls back in Japan that would constantly flirt with him. One of them being Misa Amane, and Kiyomi Takada. Both very popular, and both very attractive."

"And Ryuzaki forgets the fact that I chose the 'weirdo' of the school and made every girl in school envy him in a way like no other."

A moment of silence passed before L replied with, "Touché. Please continue."

Light smiled triumphantly. I had to admit, taking L down a peg was impressive.

"As I was saying, I was happy with the idea of being alone, and it was the principal who told me to give you a tour of our school. When we had to partner up for science class is when I developed feelings for you."

"And by the end of your school year, we had become talk of the school. Mostly, though, it was caddy women who talked about us."

Again Light shrugged. "Nothing they can do about it. I can't control who I fall for."

"Should I feel honoured that you fell for me and not Misa Amane? Because I do. Well… not honoured exactly. More like… proud. Proud to know that even Amane can't get _every_ guy."

"And what about Takeda?"

L typed out something on his laptop, then shut it down. Once he'd taken a sip of his tea, he answered. "I never much cared for her."

"Liar. You liked her until she kept flirting with me even after we'd gotten together."

I finally jumped in. "No way! L, you were jealous of someone?!"

Light scoffed. "Try the entire school. Basically, no one was allowed to speak with me."

"Not true." L butt in. "They just weren't allowed to speak with you while I wasn't there."

I blinked. "Controlling much?"

"You don't know the half of it." Light muttered. "But that's another story for another time."

"Quite. I think you should go back to your room and wake up Matt and Near, Mello. It's almost time for breakfast."

I nodded before slipping from the bed and making my way to the door. Before I left though, I thanked Light for the chocolate, then ran for my room.

When I arrived, the two were already up and about.

Matt questioned about the chocolate I'd obtained but said nothing about Light getting it for me. I hadn't wanted him to know I spent the better part of my morning hanging around the guy I was keen on hating.

Unfortunately, he was making it very difficult for me to hate him at the moment. I guess I'll have to stick with the term acquaintance for a while before anyone caught on.

All in all though… he wasn't the worst guy for L to be with.

But of course, I hadn't admitted that out loud. Not for a while, anyway.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

"I knew you'd go for a perfect score." L commented while sipping his tea.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not a test score, Ryuzaki. I just helped him out a bit."

L chuckled a bit. "I'm starting to think you _want_ him to be your friend, Light."

"Well, why not? He seems like a good kid. Other than the mess yesterday I don't see what you were warning me about."

L's odd little smile crept up, and he chuckled again. "You have not seen his final form."

And with that, I smacked him in the head with a pillow. Thankfully he was not holding his cup of tea at the time, but I almost wish he had been.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Light P.O.V)**

With everyone in class, and L working on a case, I decided to look around the orphanage for a bit. It was quite the place too. Large windows and even larger rooms filled with either books or other things to occupy the genius children with their day to day lives.

Speaking of children, I passed by many on my personal tour of the place. Some didn't care much for me, but others would stop to ask if I was really L's new boyfriend. Some of the rare females that were at the orphanage would giggle if I said yes and say how lucky L was. I was more than flattered at their reactions. It would seem L spoke more about me than he implied. It didn't bother me too much, but he could at least tell the truth. Or remember some of it better.

As I continued my walk I found so much in just a short time. The classrooms were on the first floor along with the cafeteria and kitchen, and the bedrooms for all the kids were on the second floor. Advanced classes were on the third floor as well as the classes for the tweens and teenagers. I was told L's successors would be in the advanced courses due to their heightened intelligence. However, this meant that they only had one or two classes during the day, so it was quite possible that I'd see them later on.

In all truth, I had hoped for that.

Of course, meeting them for the first time was a bit nerve wracking, but when Near and Matt showed no animosity towards me, I felt accepted. Even Mello was alright with me. A but harsh, but not what I'd call a bad kid. Although, with what L said before about not showing his 'final form', I felt a slight pang of fear. I was told this kid was… passionate, but in what sense? And why would L be more concerned for me about him than anyone else? Had he done something bad? Had he truly maimed another kid? He didn't seem to have that big of a temper when we first met. Maybe I caught him on a good day…

No matter how much I looked into it, I just couldn't see anything wrong with Mello. He seemed like a regular child to me.

During my walk through the halls while I contemplated about Mello and the others, I was stopped by a small hand gripping my shirt. When I looked, I saw a little ball of white tugging at my shirt in his oversized pajamas. His big eyes stared up at me in pleading.

I smiled at him. "Hello Near. Are you done with your classes already?"

He nodded, hiding his small grin a bit.

I chuckled a bit. "Would you like to join me on a walk then? I'm taking a bit of a tour through the orphanage, and it would be nice to have a companion."

His smile grew a bit and he nodded again. Before we started walking though, he lifted his arms up and I immediately gushed again at how cute this little six year old was.

I picked him up and held him close as he began to cuddle under my chin. His white hair was soft to the touch. I could have sworn that this child was a stuffy itself with how utterly adorable he was.

My poor sister would always be second to this child when it came to cuteness.

Even as a man, I can admit when something was adorable. And Near blew the charts when it came to this topic. Especially if he was cuddling something.

When he got comfortable in my arms he pointed to where to go next, and I obliged.

On our walk he told me some of the history of Wammy's. Normally I'd take a topic of history as serious as I could, but with Near's tiny voice it was impossible. This child could quite possibly kill me with its cuteness.

When we made it to the playroom he wanted down almost immediately, so I complied. Once his feet were firmly planted on the floor he ran for the giant stuffed panda in the corner. I couldn't hold back the smile either. It didn't matter if you were a genius or just a regular kid. When you were six, you loved your stuffed animals.

Right when I was about to leave I heard a familiar voice cry out in victory. When I looked I saw a familiar red-head playing a videogame on the television. It looked as though Mello was there alongside Matt, reading an unknown book, which could only mean that their classes were done for the day.

I decided not to bother them and was turning to leave when Matt called out towards me.

"Light! Come here!"

I grinned to myself. _'I suppose my tour just ended.'_

I strode up to the boys and noticed the game they were playing was one I'd played when I was a kid. I was surprised Matt had the patience for it though, considering I went insane trying to beat it. Sayu was no different.

He tried to hand me a controller, but I denied. I wasn't playing that game again in a million years. I paid my dues. I did however sit next to him and helped him with certain levels.

Mello hadn't seemed to notice I was there until he looked up from his book to see me helping Matt with a certain villain.

"Oh, hey Light. Didn't see you." He mumbled quietly as he went back to reading.

I cocked an eyebrow at him before Matt said, "I'd leave him alone. He's been reading that Shakespeare play since last night."

"Shakespeare? Which one?"

This time Mello spoke. "Hamlet. I'm at his famous soliloquy right now."

At the drop of a coin, the game became less important to me now.

"Hamlet! That's my favourite play done by Shakespeare! Well, one of them at least."

Mello then looked at me with a slight sneer. "Oh? Then I don't suppose you could recite a few lines for me. Just to prove you're really a fan, of course."

A small smirk from me and soon began to recite one of the most famous Soliloquy's Shakespeare had ever written.

_"To be, or not to be-that is the question:_

_Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer_

_The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune_

_Or to take arms against a sea of troubles_

_And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-_

_No more-and by a sleep to say we end_

_The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks_

_That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation_

_Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-_

_To sleep-perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,_

_For in that sleep of death what dreams may come_

_When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,_

_Must give us pause. There's the respect_

_That makes calamity of so long life…"_

I continued on with the Soliloquy until the very last line. After such, I noticed mare than a few sets of eyes staring at me incredulously. Mello being one of them.

I only shrugged though. "I told you it was one of my favourites."

"Yeah, but that's so much to remember!" Matt exclaimed.

"When you know something as much as I do about Hamlet, you tend to remember everything about it." I then turned to the blonde. "It's better as a play than it is a novel. If you would like I could take you to see it someday."

Mello didn't say anything at first. He merely looked away from me and sat silently.

Well, it was a nice try on my part anyway.

I stood from my spot then. "I should go see L right now. I have to speak with him about some things. I'll talk to you guys later."

Before they could protest, I was off. Continuously reminding myself that two out of three wasn't bad.

**(Matt P.O.V)**

"Dude! That guy I awesome!"

"Whatever, Matt." Came the blonde's quiet reply.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you seriously still not like him?! That guy just recited your favourite Soliloquy! You have that memorized! You two should really hang out more."

And with that, Mello was gone. I didn't know what his problem was with Light, but he needed to get over it. There was nothing wrong with him. And even if there was, I doubted it could change my impression of him.

Near suddenly sat beside me after I resumed my game. "I don't think he _wants_ to get close to Light."

"Why would that be? He's close to L." I debated while avoiding a bad guy.

"Maybe he's scared…"

"Mello? Scared? Don't make me laugh."

Near only sighed as he went back to his stuffys.

After a bit of contemplation, I began to wonder if Mello really was afraid of Light. But why would he be? Light was kind to all of us. Even Near loved him and it had barely been a day. So… why didn't Mello?

Maybe there was more to Mello's enmity than he would admit. Something he wasn't telling us to wither save his own skin or others. Just what it all was, was the question.

* * *

_**A/N: I promise to have a Near P.O.V soon, but I just haven't had a point in time to do so. Please forgive me. :)**_

_**Reviews welcomed!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**(Near P.O.V)**

Two weeks had gone by since Light entered the Wammy house and both Matt and I were happy to have him there. When we were done our classes we would usually try to find him right away, with Mello tailing behind, and he'd happily spend time with us. Other kids wanted his attention as well, but he spent most of his time with us. Something I enjoyed thoroughly. It was like he was our big brother of sorts, but better. He was always kind, always spoke softly to us, and didn't treat us like nuisances like others in the past. He even treated Mello with the same respect, but the blonde still shied away from him. It was beginning to get annoying how much Mello wanted nothing to do with him.

But, I said nothing. Not that he'd listen to me anyways.

During the first week Watari had seen how much Matt and myself liked to be around him and offered Light a job as our mentor.

The mentors at the Wammy house were usually adults who were assigned to specific kids in order for them to have a safe place to speak and do as they pleased. It was sort of like a therapist, and it worked in the same way. L had been our mentor, but with cases starting to pile up, I suppose it only seemed fair to ask someone else to mentor us. L himself was asked how he felt about us switching over to Light, and had been all for it. Soon, Light became our new mentor. However, Mello wasn't too pleased with the idea. I'd like to think Light tried to get the blonde on his good side but it was hopeless. Mello was just too stubborn.

But at least he had Matt and myself.

Our classes were finished for the second week and our weekend began quickly in the playroom with us being the only ones there. I had been playing with some cards while sitting in Light's lap, and Matt was on his video games again. Mello, as always, was sitting on the windowsill reading away. This time he was reading 'Animal Farm', which I suspected would be done within the hour at the pace he read.

I could tell, even if I wasn't looking right at him, that Light wanted to be friends with Mello. But had he seen what the blonde was capable of, I don't know that his feelings would remain the same.

Mello hadn't had a tantrum in the past two weeks, which meant he was gearing up for one soon. At the moment Light saw this display of rage, I could kiss my comfortable seat goodbye. No one stayed for too long with L after it came to one of Mello's famous rage attacks. And through those weeks I'd prayed Mello wouldn't have one around Light.

My prayers were not heard.

I had stacked the cards up into a small tower as carefully as I could until I heard some boys laughing at something. When I looked up, I immediately cringed. Four of the teenaged boys were picking on Mello again… but weren't ready for the storm that was brewing.

It started when one of them took his book away and was holding it above his head, making him jump for it.

"Come on you stupid kid, get it!"

Mello jumped again but failed. "Give it back, Peter!"

"Why?" Peter asked as he threw the book to another of the teens.

They tossed the book around until there came a loud and deafening rip that filled the air. When it was evident that the book was destroyed, Light made the move to help out the blonde…

But Mello was faster.

In a blind fury, Mello knocked down Perter and began punching him as hard as he could throwing profanities at him and screaming like a madman. It was a well-known fact that Mello treasured his books like they were his own children. So seeing one being destroyed right in front of him was enough to send him in a fit of rage. However, Peter was stronger, and he threw Mello off of him with ease and he hit the bookshelf with a hard thump.

When the teen got to his feet he went after the blonde once again, but was sent back to the ground by Light. To be honest, I was so engrossed by all the events that I hadn't seen the man move from his spot.

Light stood between Peter with his friends and Mello. Matt had ran to the blonde's side the moment he saw him hit the shelf. I would have done the same were I not so afraid of what might happen between the teens and Light.

Peter got to his feet again and looked at Light with some fear. Probably because no mentor has ever treated another Wammy kid like he had. However, if L were told of this incident, I doubt he'd make an issue out of it. I think he may even have been proud of Light for doing so. Peter was just as ruthless as Mello when it came to beating up people. The only difference was Mello had a reason most times.

Seeing who he was facing, Peter up and just left. Always the coward.

I looked over to the blonde again and paled. He wasn't moving.

I followed Light towards the lifeless body of Mello and was relieved to see that he was in fact breathing. The sheer shock of being thrown across the room must have sent him into unconsciousness.

The man before us picked up Mello carefully and cradled him closely. "Matt, Near, go find L and Watari. Tell them what's happened and to meet in in the infirmary."

We both nodded and went out to find the two. Matt went after Watari since he was faster and I went to get L from his room. For the first time in my life, I was worried about Mello. He'd taken hits before, but never this badly.

Hopefully he'd be alright.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Some teenaged sociopath actually kicked an eight year old boy into a shelf! I swear, had I not had the control at the time, that kid would have paid dearly.

Mello was still under by the time I got to the infirmary, but he had been muttering something while unconscious. There was hope that he'd wake up soon then.

After I told the nurse what happened, she was just as angry as I was. But, feelings aside, she did her job and told me to sit on the bed with Mello to keep his head elevated. Within seconds of doing so, L entered the room with Watari and the other two boys in tow. None were pleased to see the blonde still unconscious.

"Watari, I want Peter expelled immediately!" L fought. "Four times he has sent someone to the infirmary! I don't care if Miss Abigale has faith in him, this is outrageous!"

To be honest, this was the first time I'd actually seen L angry at anything in particular. But I couldn't blame him. What that teenager did was unforgivable, especially if he's done so beforehand, and it's now affecting more people in the process.

Even Watari seemed visibly upset. "Yes, of course. I'll get to it immediately. Let me know if anything changes." He said before hurrying out the door to see what he can do about Peter.

I looked up at L. "Miss Abigale?"

"A teacher here. And she's favoured Peter more than anyone else that lives here. Any time he's put someone in the infirmary, she comes up with some cockamamie excuse for him. However, it would seem we have a few eyewitness accounts to his actions now."

I looked back at the blonde, who still hadn't moved. "Why would he do this to a kid?"

"Peter is… a case, to say the least. He as well as others are part of the… special programs."

"Special programs? What do you mean?"

L took a minute to compose what he was going to say. "Well, Light, the special programs are for the kids who don't function properly among the others here. It was started when a certain Wammys kid… had a bit of a falling out. He was a genius, like the rest of us, but he thought 'differently' than us. So we sent him away. Peter is much the same, but nowhere near as violent. But Peter is part of the group where we keep a close eye on them. Unfortunately, it looks like he will have to go…"

"No, he won't." Came a shrill, female-like voice.

We all looked towards the voice and saw a plump, snobby looking woman with hair that resembled a crow's nest, while wearing a too tight dress, standing at the entrance of the infirmary.

She strode in rather coyly. "Peter is a fine student and has informed me that Mello was the one to initiate the fight."

"Is that true, Near?" L looked down at the albino.

Near said nothing, but merely hung his head. We had all forgotten that the blonde initially started the fight. However, Mello barely made a scratch whereas Peter knocked the child unconscious.

"I would also like to add," She started up again, "that your little boy toy over there threw Peter to the floor out of anger…"

"Anger?" I exclaimed. "I threw him to the ground because he lunged towards Mello after kicking him into a shelf! And who are you anyway!?"

"My name, is Miss Abigale, you discourteous little slug."

Before I could start up with a few insults to make even Satan himself blush, L got in between us.

"Look, Miss Abigale, I know you have faith in Peter, but despite Mello having started the fight first Peter sent another child to the hospital wing. We can't risk this happening again. I'm sorry, but he has to go."

"Fine, then so does Mello."

"Excuse me?" I gritted. "Why on earth does Mello have to leave?"

"Because of all the damaged he's caused us. Him, and his anger, have done nothing but cost us thousands in damages."

"You say 'us' like you're contributing to the building and livelihood of this establishment." L stepped in. "And furthermore, Mello has not yet caused anyone such health problems that they have to be hospitalized."

"Not yet, as you said, but how do you know it won't happen in the future?" She said knowingly as she turned away from us. "Think about that for a few days."

And just as fast as she arrived, she was gone.

I glared at the doorway from where she came. I could not hate the woman more than I did right at that moment.

"So what do we do, L?" Matt asked quietly. "You won't actually send Mello away, will you?"

"Absolutely not." He stated. "Mello is a part of our family. It would be wrong to send him away."

"But what about Miss Abigale?" Near spoke.

As L answered him, I began to think of ways I'd be able to help in this situation. Mello had a temper, this was true, but he didn't seem to hold any grudge on people. In fact, it looked more like he lashed out more than anything else. Today was an exception, being that he was defending himself, but the way he was treating me, being friendly one day then ignoring me the next, and the days he bullied Near and a few of the other kids. Something didn't sit right with me.

I shifted the blonde in my arms as the nurse put a cold compress on his head. There was definitely something he wasn't telling us. Maybe if I could…

I looked up toward the detective. "L, if it's alright with you, I'd like to work alongside Mello for a while."

L seemed surprised, to say the least. "May I ask why?"

I could only shrug and say, "I think it would be best. Just for a while. Maybe I can get some information from him, ask him about his past or why he's so angry."

Matt suddenly laughed. "Good luck, Light! L's been barking up that tree for four years!"

"Yes, Light. And he hasn't been all that cooperative. I don't know what his real name is, where he came from, what his past was. All I know is that he goes by Mello, and was living on the streets when I found him."

"I think there's much more to it than that. I mean, you saw it yourself. On my second day here he was actually warming up to me and then he just disregarded me. I'd like to know why, if I can get anything out of him."

There suddenly came a stirring in my arms and the blonde ball of rage started blinking his eyes open.

"Where am I?"

Matt suddenly jumped in. "Why, you're in wonderland Alice!"

Mello only rubbed his head. "Shut up, Matt."

The gamer grinned while crossing his arms. "Worth a shot."

The blonde then looked up at me and saw where he was. "What happened?"

"We'll talk later." I replied. "You might have a concussion, so I suggest resting for a while."

"Concussion? From what?" He looked about and saw where he was lying. "Why am I in your lap? What happened?"

He tried to sit up but the nurse made him lie down again. From then on, she went about checking his vitals and everything in-between. Unfortunately he wasn't too happy with being touched and prodded like that and he ended up falling to the floor once more.

Matt helped him back onto his bed, but I doubt he saw what I, as well as L, saw.

"He doesn't like to be touched." I whispered to the detective as I got up to stand beside him. "Do you think…?"

"You've got your wish." He interrupted. "You can work alongside Mello if you want, but only if you agree to let me know if anything turns up. The more I know about him the better. But I suggest not telling him anything aside from wanting to work with him."

"Alright then. I suppose I'll give it a try."

L suddenly planted a kiss on my cheek. Before I could even question it…

"Because you cared for my brothers when I wasn't around to do so."

I could only smile at him. "I'm glad I could help."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Just so you all know, I won't be posting chapters until late tomorrow or early the next day. I'll be going to an anime convention all day so I won't be around. Hope you can forgive me.**_

_**Thank you and enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

Let me get one thing across here. I'm not a bigot, or a homophobe, or racist, or anything else people can come up with nowadays to make others look bad. I simply just don't like to be touched. I had a possible reason as to why that was, but I never told anyone. It didn't matter to me anymore because it was a thing of the past. My parents hadn't known anything about it, that was true, but I figured it would be best if no one knew.

Besides… I always feared that he'd kill me if I told.

But it doesn't matter now. What mattered was that Light was my personal mentor now, and as I've said before… I hate being touched.

He tried to pat my head once, like he did for Matt when he was proud or happy for him, but I ducked away. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings in any way, which I doubt I did, but I reserved that sort of thing for Matt and L. L's hugs always made me feel better, and Matt's were just for comfort. So what could Light have that they didn't?

I admit now that Light was not a bad person. In fact, he seemed like fun. He said he had a younger sister so he had some experience with kids. Near wouldn't get off his lap to save his life, which meant much since the albino was more of a loner than a huggy-feely-type person, and Matt had a blast playing video games with him. So then it shouldn't be any trouble for me to get close to him… should it?

During my first few days by his side, which L had pressured me into doing since he was my mentor now, I hadn't talked to him that much. I actually think he did more of the talking than I did. It wasn't until the fourth day that things started to change.

It had been a very cloudy and dark day, which meant a storm was brewing. Everyone in the house knew I couldn't stand thunderstorms.

Well… not that I couldn't stand them…

More like I was afraid of them.

I had been working on my homework in the rec room with Light reading a book just a few feet away. Everyone was either in a class or studying in the library for upcoming exams. Normally the rec room was quiet, with little to no people being there as it was. However, with the storm coming in, it would be anything but quiet that day.

I heard the first rumble of thunder and my stomach began to clench uncomfortably. This was only the beginning of my fear. When the thunder became louder, and the lightning flashed brighter, I swore I could almost feel my whole body go numb with fright.

Keraunophobia – or a phobia of storms – was something that had haunted me since I was three. I'd get panic attacks and shiver uncontrollably. My worries rose to unimaginable heights, and I couldn't for the life of me calm down in the slightest.

It was like a personal hell for me.

The storm started building more and more and the shaking had already began. It felt as if I were freezing cold but completely warm at the same time.

Light looked up from his book only to find me shaking while clutching for dear life onto my binder. I wanted so badly to just run and find a place to hide out for a while. Unfortunately, that was no option considering I was supposed to be the tough guy in school. The only one who knew about my fear was Matt, but since he was in class I was out of luck for support.

At least for a few moments.

"Mello," Light said calmly. "Are you alri…?"

A crash of lighting and thunder bombarded the orphanage and caused me to cover my ears, tears prickling at my eyes. I hated storms. I hated the thunder, the lightning, the rain. Anything! Storms were the one things that scared me most, and nothing would have been able to change that.

I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pick me up into an embrace. Had I the strength I would have fought like mad to get whoever it was to drop me. But, seeing how I was too scared to do anything but cower at the moment, this person seemed to win the battle. When I looked up to see who it was, I was relieved to see it was just Light. For once, I was more than happy to have this man close to me.

"You're afraid of storms." He deduced. "For how long though?"

I was a bit shaky, but was able to answer. "A… a few y-years."

"Have you told anyone?"

I shook my head. "No one b-but Matt. Everyone will laugh at me."

"If they did then that's pretty cowardly of them." He said as he sat on the couch, cradling me.

I had to admit, it was nice having someone to hold onto when I was afraid.

"How so?" I mumbled through my fear driven state.

My shaking slowed down when he began to pet my hair down. It was so soothing, so calm. It felt like a mother's touch. Like no matter what happened, Light would keep me safe.

"People shouldn't mock others because their afraid of something. Everyone is scared of something, no matter how much they want to try and deny it. It's human nature, Mello."

"So then, why do they do it?"

"Because there are enough low life scum in the world that think that it's okay to mock someone for their fears. We all do it at some point or another, but the one's that thrive off of it are truly despicable."

I nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more."

Another crash of thunder and lighting and I flinched. Light continued to sit there and try to calm me down.

"You know, my sister is afraid of lawn gnomes."

I had to look up at him when he said that. "You're kidding me."

He shook his head. "Sayu hates them, and she gets panic attacks after being near one. We don't see many of them in Japan, but her friend went to the states once and brought one back for her because she thought it was cool looking. Sayu almost immediately ran away from it, she was too terrified of it."

"But it's an inanimate object. It can't hurt her."

"Well, a storm is just some loud noises and bright lights, isn't it? How can that hurt you?"

I looked at him rather incredulously now. "People have been hit by lightning, you know."

"When they stood out in the storm. You aren't in the storm though. You're here in the house, safe and sound."

"But it can still happen. People have been hit by lightning before, even when they thought it was safe, so what's to stop it from happening to me?"

I had sat up and away from him now, but he only grinned back at me. "What are the chances of getting hit by lighting, might I ask?"

I thought for a moment. "A thousand to one? Maybe?"

"Oh? And you think you're so special that lighting is going to strike you at the very moment you leave the house?"

I was about to argue him until I realized how true it was. I mean, rationally enough, I should think about how rare it was that anyone got hit by lightning at all. So what made me so special that lightning would seek me out personally and strike me down?

This knowledge alone wouldn't help me overcome my fears… but it was a start.

Light grinned wider when I wouldn't say anything. "You see? It seems pointless now to be afraid of it. That alone won't help you, but someday it'll all go away."

"I'm not much for waiting."

"Well, there's nothing you can really do for a phobia but work at helping it to die down and soon after to go away."

"But how do you know all this?"

"I've had to deal with a few phobia's myself. Believe me, it all gets better."

I was intrigued by this. "So, have _you_ ever dealt with a phobia?

He gave a thoughtful look before answering. "I had an extreme case of Glossophobia when I was a kid."

I blinked. "That sounds like you had a fear of lip gloss."

"No, that came after my sister tied me to a chair and smack some makeup on me. But Glossophobia is a fear of speaking in public. Like, if I was chosen to give a speech, I'd immediately have a panic attack and lose my mind with worry."

"How'd you get over it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Practice. It helped when my parents would pretend to be the audience for me, but the more I spoke in front of people the better it got. But you see, there are people out there who believe that being brave would mean you have no fear. In reality, though, being brave is facing your fear. Even if it means you don't want to."

I listened intently to what he'd said, but felt no more hopeful than before. "Yeah, but facing my fear would mean actually going outside to be in the storm. I'm not exactly doing that right now."

"You have to take baby steps, Mello. And you are being brave. You conquered your fears just now."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean? I haven't…"

"Look outside."

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked out the window. I was surprised to see that the storm was well over and the skies were beginning to clear up. Had we been talking throughout the entire storm? Had I really not heard anything more than a few thunderclaps?

I looked back at his grinning face. "How…?"

"I used to be afraid of storms too. Believe me, it was a nightmare. My mother would talk to me whenever one would arise and it would keep my mind occupied. I'm guessing the same will help for you. If you can just keep your mind off the storm, your fear will slowly dissipate in time."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, I'd conquered my fear. For once… I was brave enough to get through it.

I was so overcome with joy at beating my fear for once, I hugged Light as tightly as I could. It was him to help me after all. And it never felt better to hug someone before.

Maybe… just maybe… he was worth my time.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I meant to post this earlier, but I've been exhausted all day.  
**_

_**But the story must continue!**_

_**Enjoy, and reviews are most welcomed! **_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I loved the boys, with all my heart I did, but it was good to spend alone time with L once in a while. With him working on a few cases this past month, and me spending time with Near, Matt, and now Mello, we didn't see each other too often. It was usually nighttime when we got any time together, and I was usually too tired to have any fun with him. L didn't seem to be annoyed by this, but I could tell he wanted time alone with me as much as the boys did.

Thankfully, there were nights where I wasn't too tired for him.

Like tonight.

I had just put the boys to bed, which they had pleaded for me to do, and when I walked into my room which I shared with L, there he was, on his laptop, back turned to me and thumbnail to his mouth. I could tell he was just about to solve a case, so I wouldn't have to wait long for him to pay attentions to me.

Soon enough…

"What a boring case. The cliché maid strikes again." He mumbled.

"You're serious?" I inquired as I closed the door before sitting on the bed. "That sounds like the premise of a bad detective movie."

"It might as well be." He sighed as he shut his laptop off, turning to me. "Then again, her employer was a terrible man to her. If I were a maid being verbally abused I wouldn't stand for it either."

I chuckled a bit. "Oh please. With your, rather scary, kinks, I'd suspect you'd like being verbally abused while wearing a maids outfit."

A smirk appeared on his face. "Believe me, Light, I would not be the one wearing the maids outfit."

I grinned, but my eyes still rolled. It was definitely muscle memory by now to roll my eyes at everything he said or did.

"Next you're going to tell me you have a maid's outfit hiding away in the closet somewhere."

"And if I did?" The detective asked, slipping out of his chair.

I tried my hardest to keep my mind clear as he crawled on top of me. People at my school never understood my attraction to him, but what they failed to realize was the immense emotion behind his eyes when he wasn't focused on a case. Furthermore, he had a certain… nature to him. One that I couldn't find in anyone else. Sure, L wasn't the best looking man by most standards, but I couldn't help but fall for him.

You can't help who you fall for.

He had me on my back now, but I still managed to keep my mind from fuzzing over with desire. "If you did indeed have a maid outfit, I'd start to question what goes on inside that head of yours."

He nuzzled my neck now, planting small kisses as he went along. "You already question what goes on in my mind."

"Everyone does. You're just too interesting not to."

He hummed. "The way you say the word 'interesting' makes me believe you think of me as an experiment."

I finally began to lose myself in his touch, but I tried to keep my wits about me. "To be honest, I almost did consider you an experiment when we first started dating. It wasn't until later on when things got more serious that I began to think of you as more."

"I can understand that." He muttered between his kisses. The moment he snaked a hand under my shirt I had only been half-listening to him, getting lost in the touch. "I mean, whereas I and the rest of Wammys has a chance to experiment and find what we want, you were raised in a strict household with your father wanting you to grow up and have children with a wife and family. Of course you'd want to experiment at some point."

I bit my lip, feeling my shirt hike up to my chest. "Best experiment I'd ever done."

"I concur." He agreed before locking his lips with mine.

Although L was not a very romantic person, he knew how to treat me well. Everyone from my school, however embarrassing it was, would ask who topped or make assumptions that it was in fact me. I admit to being the more masculine part of the relationship, having once or twice send L flowers or leaving notes in his locker, but the bedroom was another story. I may have wanted to be the dominant one in the relationship, but I didn't mind being submissive if it was for L.

Just as I thought nothing would ruin this moment, I'd heard a weird noise coming from outside the room. It sounded like… screaming. But it was so faint, so far away.

L noticed my sudden change in mood and backed away a bit. "Light? What is it?"

I tried to ignore it but couldn't. It sounded so… haunting. But at the same time I was scared.

"Do you hear that?"

L went into concentration mode again and tried to hear the screaming as well. "Yes. I do. But I've never heard this before while living here."

"Do you think…?"

Before I could ask, there came an angry knock at the door from what sounded like tiny hands.

L moved to open the door and Near came running in to find me. He'd grabbed my hand and began pulling frantically while frantically speaking to both me and L.

"You both have to come quick! Something's wrong!"

"What, Near!" I asked worriedly, trying to stop him from running. "What's going on!?"

He grabbed L's wrist now too. "You both need to come! Mello is in trouble!"

"What?!" We both said in sync before running to the boy's bedroom.

As we were running, the screaming only got louder and louder and we noticed more than a few people had been woken up by this, and were even gathering in a small crowd around Near, Matt, and Mello's room. We had to push our way through before getting through the door to find a screaming blonde punching and kicking some unseen demons in his sleep. After questioning Matt about what had happened, he'd only said that he'd heard mumblings coming from Mello that turned into violent screams. He'd tried to wake him up, but was only punched in the arm for doing so.

We acted immediately and began to restrain him as best as we could. I held his torso in place, while L grabbed his legs. He still managed to put up a fight even with us holding him down. I almost wanted to cry at seeing him go through this nightmare unaware of the damage he was causing.

When Near finally caught up to us L demanded that he shut the door so no one could see any more of this.

And just like that, it was but the five of us. All of us wondering what was going on.

The screams began to die down and were replaced with tears and sobs. He no longer fought the demons, but accepted his fate that met him in the sleeping realm. When he began to shake from the hell he was going through we began to try and wake him.

We were successful this time and he woke up with a teary eye. He was confused at what happened, then frightened at how much damaged he'd caused to his bed and Matt.

He looked up at Land spoke in a hoarse voice. "What happened?"

L finally let go of his legs when he saw no threat of Mello hurting himself or others. "You had a night terror. A violent one at that. Strange, considering you'd never shown any behaviour like this in your sleep before. Do you remember anything from your nightmare?"

"How'd you know...?"

"It's very common that one would be having a nightmare while this is happening. Children are known to have them more frequently than adults, but yours was so vicious I was afraid you'd break an arm or leg from thrashing. Plus the screaming and crying, and not to mention not being able to wake up until you were calmed down…"

"Enough, L." I said calmly. "I'm sure Mello doesn't need you scaring him like that. It was probably just a bad nightmare."

"Nightmares don't cause this kind of thrashing about, Light. Not ones you'd find ridiculous right afterwards. Which brings me back to my original question."

Mello started to curl up a bit into my lap. "No, I… I can't remember anything."

"Are you sure?"

Mello nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."

I began to pet his hair down. "Don't say sorry, Mello. You couldn't control what was happening, that's not your fault. I'm sure you'll be fine."

L hummed. "Well then, we should all go back to bed. Tonight's events have tired us all out I suspect."

I nodded before picking up Mello, who had still been shaking quite a bit, and placed him back into bed. I didn't believe he'd get much sleep after everything that had just happened, but we all needed to rest until tomorrow when we could speak further about what to do about it.

After closing the door behind me, watching the blonde stare at the mess strewn across the floor due to his thrashing, I heard L whisper to me, "PTSD"

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"PTSD, Light. It stands for…"

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I know. But why mention it?"

"Because people who are diagnosed with PTSD are known to have violent night terrors and nightmares. Symptoms include thrashing, punching, kicking, screaming, crying, and much more. Mello fits the description."

I finally understood. "You think something happened to him before he came to the Wammy house. Something that traumatized him."

"Exactly. But if I don't know what, then I can't help."

"And he won't tell if we ask. But we can't allow him to suffer like this."

"We may have to, though. If he isn't willing to ask for help, and we can't find out why he needs it – or what he needs it for – then he'll have to suffer for a while."

I sighed. "I really hope you're wrong and he asks for help soon."

L was very melancholy now. "And when have I ever been wrong, Light?"

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I felt a tear roll down my face. When Light had closed the door I apologized to Matt over and over again for hitting him but he'd only shrugged it off, telling me that he wasn't mad.

Goddamn my nightmares. They were getting more and more aggressive the more I tried to hide them away. And when I'd think I'd have a peaceful night, I'd see _him_ in my dreams.

He had chained me this time… like he had in my past. I'd fought like mad to be free of them, but I could only scream in agony from the things he'd done. And when I couldn't move anymore, likely because Light and L were holding me down in the waking realm, I had finally given up and just cried. Begging… praying for my mother and father to come get me. To save me from my hell.

They never did.

But when I'd awoke, I'd seen L and Light there instead. Two people who'd actually loved me enough to try and save me from my nightmare.

And I loved them.

That's why I didn't burden them with my pain. I wanted them to have no cares in the world, so I kept my mouth shut and smiled through the pain. Hopefully, all my nightmares would go away someday, and I'd be free to sleep again.

Hopfully…


	10. Chapter 10

**(Matt P.O.V)**

Autumn arrived at Wammy's and everyone was gearing up for winter now. It had been a few months since Light had arrived, and he'd made more of an impact on us than we'd first imagined he would. For instance, he made sure I did my homework long before I was able to play a game or two. Near had someone to play with now, and would even lose at a few games of chess – ultimately making him better in the long run. Mello worked closely with the young man in order to get over a few flaws of his. His fear of storms was greatly reduced in those months too, and since the one night terror, had none others. But that isn't to say we weren't prepared for another.

Light was, virtually, the best person on earth for us. At Wammys, we didn't have mothers or fathers to care for us. We just had adults who legally needed to be there for us to stay. But Light wasn't just some other adult. He treated us like we were his own children, praising us for doing well, and scolding us for doing something wrong. Even L wasn't safe from him. But, all in all, it felt awesome to have a father/mother figure in our lives. To feel loved by a parent.

Lord knows I never had that before.

But I choose to leave that in the past. I had something way better than I'd ever had before. Why dwell on the negative?

Now that Autumn was here, it meant Halloween would be just around the corner. Halloween was my favourite day of the year. It was the day I could show off some talents in making and presenting costumes. Some of the boys at Wammys – teens more than anyone else – would laugh at me because I sewed. They never laughed when Mello was in their presence though, which helped greatly. It meant I could work in peace and get things done faster.

This year things would be a bit different though.

The three of us, Mello, Near, and myself, were all aware that L's birthday fell upon the same day as Halloween, but he never liked to celebrate it. I could understand why though. Having a birthday on a holiday as popular as this, and having it foreshadowed every year by said holiday, must have been rough. This year, though, Light had gotten us together to help plan out a little surprise for him. It wouldn't be a party, per say, but rather a small get together with his family – us three as well as Light and Watari – to celebrate him being part of our lives.

The plan was simple.

Light had already ordered his favourite cake behind his back, so while he took us out trick or treating he'd pick it up along the way. While we were out, Watari would get the rec room ready for us when we came home to celebrate. We'd have to change out of our costumes immediately before L saw us. Light made more than sure nothing resembled Halloween while we celebrated. Nothing black, orange, spooky, ghostly, or even remotely creepy. He had gotten the decorations months prior, simple yet festive, and the cake was far from Halloween related. I doubted one could make a strawberry cheese cake look spooky anyway.

Finally, the day arrived and we'd all gotten together for one last plan rehearsal.

L was in his room working on a case while Mello, Near, and I were downstairs in the rec room with Light and Watari.

Light looked at the three of us. "You guys know your plan?"

I saluted while Near and Mello nodded. "Aye, aye mon Captain!"

Near then proceeded with, "When we come home it's our job to help finish decorating and setting the cake with candles."

"And no costumes." Mello added.

Light smiled happily. "Good work, my minions. Now go forth and keep quiet."

This time, we all saluted. "Yes sir!"

We ran off happily to grab our costumes and get ready for trick or treating. Night would soon be upon us, and the house would be almost completely empty with everyone out getting candy. We'd arrive sooner than all of them of course, but the sacrifice was worth it for L have a good birthday for once.

While Light spoke with Watari, who was more than happy to help the brunette in giving L a special day for himself, we had ran to our room to get out our costumes. I'd helped with Near and Mello's, but not before finishing mine.

It took a while but I managed to finish my mafia costume before Halloween. Light managed to find me a fedora while I worked on the suit which greatly helped. As for Mello's costume, all I really had to do was make the cape. He'd wanted to be a vampire, but he wasn't the stereotypical ones you'd see in bad movies. He made fake fangs by boiling water and letting a flimsy type of plastic steep in it for a bit. When the plastic was ready, he was able to mould it around his teeth and make very convincing looking fangs. He wore white contact lenses, another thing Light was asked to pick up, and black nail polish. I'd made a hood to his cape, which only made the costume a bit better when he hid his face underneath. It was a very simplistic, but very well done costume on his part.

As for Near, despite Mello telling him to go as a ghost, he'd asked Light to help him become a zombie. We'd all thought it was an awesome idea and helped to create his costume with makeup and torn clothing. I suppose he'd wanted to be a zombie because of the movie we'd watched a few weeks prior, which included zombies and survivors.

It took about an hour, but we were all ready to leave before seven o' clock. To be truthful, I believe we had the best costumes of the house. Probably because I'd helped make them.

Despite being in a rather sour mood, L came out of his room to wish us luck on the candy hunt, practically begging Light to get some for him.

"L, if you want candy, grab a costume and get it yourself."

"But Light-kun." L had whined while nuzzling his shoulders.

The three of us giggled at seeing the detective beg. It wasn't something you'd see the man do unless he truly wanted something. Adding the term 'kun' at the end of his boyfriend's name, trying to sweeten the act, only made Light roll his eyes harder than before.

The brunette kissed his cheek. "We'll be back shortly. If you're kind, maybe the boys will share their candy."

Mello laughed. "HA! Fat chance!"

Light only had to look at him before Mello fell silent. "Maybe one piece."

Light sighed. "If anything you should be doing this. They've known you longer."

"Yes, but it would seem that they love _you_ more."

That's when the three of us hugged him tightly.

"That's not true, L!" Mello defended. "We love you."

"Of course we do!" I added. "We've always loved you."

Near only nodded frantically.

Light had to cover his mouth to hide the smile he had at seeing three little boys like us hugging him tightly.

"You three are adorable." He commented.

"We know." I said as I let him go. "Now let's get on with it! I want my candy!"

We ran out the door then, with Light trailing behind. He gave a look to Watari before leaving, and the plan was solidified.

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

Although I'd said I hadn't wanted to celebrate my birthday, it's not like it was able to stop Light and the boys from wishing me a happy birthday. Even Watari was silent about it all. Not one 'Happy Birthday' to me. I was almost hurt by the fact they'd all forgotten. Then again, it's always been a hassle to have a birthday on a day like this. Everything else seems to be more important and everyone forgets that it's supposed to be my special day. But, I guess I'd have to live with it for the rest of my life.

I couldn't even focus on my case at the moment. I was too hurt to think about anything else. Had Light really forgotten? Did he not know? No, of course he knew! I'd expressed how utterly I'd hated my birthday before because of Halloween, so he must know! And the boys? How could they forget? Every year they'd try to make me smile on my birthday. They'd even made me a cake one year!

So why did it all change this year?

I sighed as I called for Watari. However, he didn't appear beside me.

I tried again, but still nothing. This worried me. Watari would almost always appear beside me in no time flat. What on earth was he doing?

I got up from my seat and went downstairs to find him. I hadn't expected what was to come.

I left my room and saw the lights were out. Strange, considering there wasn't a power outage. The night was clear, the stars were out… so then, what was going on?

I carefully made my way down the stairs to find the light switch, but at the very moment I'd flipped it on I was taken aback by the loud and sudden 'Surprise!' that filled the room. When I'd gathered myself up, I saw Light, the boys, and Watari all in one place with the rec room completely decorated in simplistic décor. In the middle of the room was a strawberry cheesecake with the words "Happy Birthday!" written on it. Not one thing was orange and black, not a ghost or ghoul in sight. Nothing looked even remotely close to Halloween related.

Light walked over gave me a hug which I returned happily.

"You didn't actually think I'd forget, did you?" He whispered to me.

I grinned a little. "Yes, but I shouldn't have. Now I have to get you back for all this."

He kissed my cheek. "Good luck with that. I doubt the boys will help you like they did here."

He took my hand and guided me to my cake. "Yes, well, that's what bribes are for."

An eye-roll was his response.

Near, Matt, and Mello all ran up to hug me and I accepted it with a hug back.

Near spoke up then. "Are you happy, L?"

I hugged him and the other two a bit tighter. "Of course I am, Near. Thank you." I looked up at Light and Watari. "Thank you all."

Watari chuckled at seeing me happy again. He knew how much I'd hated my birthday. But, I suppose this once, I could learn to love it.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: A bit of a warning, there may be a bit of an adult theme here, but nothing too graphic. I'm not that creative, believe me. i have yet to go outside my comfort zone._**

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

It was November now, but the snow had not yet fallen. At the moment, Matt and I were enjoying the semi-cold weather before the blinding white of winter would befall us. We would pile the leaves fallen from the autumn weather into the biggest heap we could make, then hide inside for our prey to show up. My luck was with me, and Near was our first victim. He was so small it was easy to grab him and drag him into the pile along with us. When he stopped screeching and saw it was us he pushed us as hard as he could. Thankfully, he didn't go running off while crying to Roger. Near was many things, but a whiny baby was not one of them.

Our next victims, with the help of Near, were a few other kids who also screeched but had laughed right afterwards. Some teenagers even helped build our pile up again after we scared them. Indeed, the best things are usually free and well worth the time.

Our last victims of the day, much to our happiness, were L and Light. Light had been getting L to go out on walks everyday so they would have crossed our path at some point today.

However, when we reached out to grab them, neither were there to be seen.

Matt and Near looked at me, and me to them. How had they just disappeared from our sights?

Suddenly, something grabbed my ankles and pulled me back into the pile and out the other end. The same thing with Matt and Near happened and all three of us were hanging upside down.

"Well, now look what we've caught, L!"

"Three little buggers hiding out in a pile! Whatever shall we do with them Light?"

I turned my torso to see an upside down Light and L. Light had mine and Matt's ankle, while L only had Near.

Matt started to giggle which made me and Near follow suit.

I tried to grab onto the ground in order to get out of Light's grasp but he only lifted me higher.

"They're trying to escape!" Light exclaimed.

"Then we'd better get them inside." L said happily while beginning to head back to the orphanage, Near continuing to hang by his ankle.

Light followed but Matt and I were not giving up as easily as he'd wished.

Although he had won the trudge with us, we'd tried our hardest to get out of his grip. Grabbing the grass, the dirt, concrete, walls, even the floor. Sadly, we were unable to get away, but we laughed so hard from being dragged across the entire orphanage that I doubt we were using our full potential in strength. Near wasn't trying to get out of L's grip, but he laughed along with us when he saw how futile our attempts at escaping were.

They dragged us to the playroom where a bunch of plush animals were gathered in a corner. I almost knew exactly what they were going to do next.

L went first with Near and gently tossed him into the plushies. Like the six year old he was, he squealed with delight at being tossed into the plush corner. I didn't know why it was so much fun to be thrown about and dragged around, but it was incredibly fun!

Matt was next, but Light brought him close to eye level first. "Any last words?"

Matt giggled, before growing serious. "Just five. Bury me with my games."

"No promises." Light said before tossing him into the plushies.

Matt, being ever so dramatic, just had to take it a step further. "You haven't seen the last of me! I shall grow stronger!"

At last it was my turn, but I still tried my best to escape. It landed in failure though when Light brought me eye level. I couldn't help but smile at him. Since exams were almost on the way, having a bit of fun was more than needed at this point in time. Sometimes we forgot that we were still kids. And having Light to remind us who we were was more than appreciated.

The brunette smiled back. "And do you have any last words?"

I grew serious now. "Just make sure I have plenty of chocolate for the afterlife."

And with that I was promptly thrown into the plushies. Laughing the entire way down. But we weren't done yet.

I whispered to Matt and Near about what to do and they nodded happily. When the two men looked over to check if we were okay, we took our chance and grabbed them, pulling them into the plushie pile. At first we were only able to get Light in, but he helped us to grab L right after.

It had been a long time since I'd actually played. Since I was a kid, with no worries, no thinking about tomorrow or what was in my future. The last time I had actually been a kid was long before… well… long before my incident.

Why couldn't I tell anyone about it?

Just when I'd started thinking about it, I heard a thump from L falling over at Matt grabbing his ankle.

Light only chuckled. "A slice of L's personal cake to whichever kid causes the most damage to L."

I watched Matt and Near's faces turn from laughy-happy to wicked and diabolical. L had very little time to run out of the room before the two ran after him, laughing once more. I didn't join them though. I was too wrapped up in the memories I had from before Wammy's.

Light seemed to notice my change in demeanor. "Mello? Are you okay?"

I nodded while grinning half-heartedly. "I'm alright. Just tired." I tried not to sound morose, but it just managed to slip through.

Light, very gently, scooped me up into a hug, resting his chin on my head. "Mello, I may not have known you as long as L, but I know when you aren't yourself. What exactly is going on? You've been very quiet these past few days, and just when we get you smiling again, you're back to keeping your head down. I'd like to know what's going on."

I paled at that. I had been acting weird for the past few days, but I'd had a good reason. My birthday was coming up soon, not that anyone knew since I'd kept it secret, but it wasn't a very happy day for me. In fact, I'd say it's the worst day of my life.

But I couldn't tell him that.

"It's okay, Light. I'm fine, I mean it."

"Mello," he said a bit more sternly. "Don't lie to me."

I sighed. Unfortunately, Light knew when we were lying. But telling him…

No. I couldn't. No matter how much he wanted me to, I just couldn't. The embarrassment alone was too much.

He hugged me a bit tighter, and I suddenly remembered how badly I'd wanted this kind of love from my own parents. But after they'd found out about him and what he'd done to me… they didn't love me anymore.

Would Light still love me? Would he still want to hug me after I told him? Or would I lose him too?

I couldn't take it anymore and the tears came rolling down. It escalated to sobs almost instantly and my heart hurt worse and worse the more I thought about what had happened to me. Thank every god that resided in the world that Light was there to help me through it.

He wasted no time in picking me up into his arms and heading towards the door to go outside. L had saw us leaving but was too late to stop and ask us what was going on. Hell, I barely knew what was happening myself, but if Light knew what he was doing I wasn't going to fight him.

He headed to the backyard towards an old tree where no kids were seen playing and sat down with his back to the trunk. He hadn't stopped trying to slow my tears with small hushes and pets to my head. I had the slightest feeling he'd had to go through this before with someone else. That or he was the person who had gone through it himself with his mother. Somehow I knew it was the second assumption.

Once my sobs started to die down, he began to speak. "It's alright Mello. You're safe here. No one's around and you have my word on that. Please tell me what's bothering you now, and maybe I can help you."

I shook my head. "You can't! You can't know! I'll lose you, too!"

"Lose me? Why on earth would you think you'd lose me?"

"Because I lost my parents after I told! They never loved me again when they found out!"

I tried my hardest to stop the tears, but it was useless. I couldn't stop them no matter how hard I tried.

Light hugged me tightly. "Mello, you have my word that I won't every leave you. Nothing you say will ever change how much I care for you, or for Matt and Near. I love all three of you with every ounce of my heart. I promise you that."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe what he said, but I just couldn't. However, there was no hiding from this. I had to tell or suffer with the memories on my own.

I sniffled a bit before finally caving in. "I grew up here in England. I had a mother and father, and an older brother Emmett. We were a wealthy family, and I always got what I asked for without question. They all seemed to love me. They'd hug me and hold me close, and my mother always liked playing with my hair." I chuckled at the memory. "People would think I was a girl and it made my parents laugh." I finally started to shake. "But… my father's business partner… it wasn't a joke to him."

I could feel Light tense up when I'd said that. But there was much more to tell.

I shook even more. "He kidnapped me. He took me away to his estate in Scotland. When I arrived… he…" I choked. "He…"

I could just feel the breath being taken away from Light. "He didn't."

I buried my head into Light's chest. "I was four. He kidnapped me on my fourth birthday. I didn't understand why he did the things he'd done. Chaining me, hitting me, stripping me…" I shook violently now at the memories. "I was terrified. He'd finish with me and then leave me chained to his bed for later. I felt like scum."

Light hadn't said a word yet, but I knew he was angry. I knew it.

I continued. "Three months he kept me as his pet. When my father finally found me, it was far too late. The damage was done. But, even after all that… after all my praying to go home and act like it never happened… they would look at me funny. Treat me like I was dirty. My mother wouldn't play with my hair, my father wouldn't hug me. Even my brother Emmett would shy away from me.

"So I ran away. I ran and I never looked back. L found me digging in the trash a few days afterwards, and that's how I ended up here. But I never told him of my past. I was too afraid to lose him."

Light suddenly tightened his grip and I looked up to see his face contorted with anger and sorrow.

He then kissed the top of my head. "You are a very brave child, Mello. I'm only sorry you had to go through all that at such a young age. Believe me when I say this; you are far from dirty, and should not even be considered such. And you won't lose me after speaking about this. I'll love you as much as I did beforehand, you have my word."

I hugged him tighter than I'd ever had before, feeling my heart skip a beat in pure happiness. "Thank you."

Light hugged me back. "But Mello, you have to realize now that I have to speak with L about this. He needs to know the truth. I promise you that it won't change the way he feels about you. In fact, he'll more than likely be angry that your parents would think so lowly of you."

I resented the idea of having Light tell L about my past, but at the same time I knew it was what's best for me.

I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Don't be. I can't exactly relate to this, but I understand why you wouldn't say anything sooner."

"So, you're not mad?"

"Far from it. I'm actually happier because we can get you the help you need now."

"Help?"

Light pulled away slightly to look at me. "The first step you took was admitting what had happened. But you can't live your life carrying this immense burden. Not to mention the trauma it caused you. Enough to give you night terrors. We can't risk leaving it at this, and I know L will agree with me."

I sighed a bit at that. "Okay. I'll give it a shot."

Another kiss to my forehead. "Good. No sense fighting with me when you know I'm right."

I grinned happily as I hugged Light once more. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago I had wanted nothing to do with this man… who was now my most trusted ally.

I was so very fortunate to have him in my life now. I didn't care about my parents or brother anymore. They hadn't loved me as much as L and Light had. And for once _I_ was the older brother, being Near and Matt were younger than me. I had a better family here than I ever did with my actual kinfolk. I'm just happy I managed to see it now rather than later on.

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**_:Reviews Welcomed_**


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N: Just so you all know, I may not be posting for a while. I'm dealing with an incredible headache and it was difficult for me to even think about this chapter. I'll try to get a chapter done by friday though._**

**_Hope you all enjoy and thanks for the many fans and reviews! Much appreciated!_**

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**(Light P.O.V)**

Waiting at the airport was a bother, but the time spent there would be worth it… I suppose.

L had let the bomb drop about him inviting my parents and sister out to England to celebrate the holidays. At first I had been shocked, but he'd assured me that everything would be fine. He'd already arranged to have his house – of which he used for special occasions – accommodate my family, as well as himself, the boys, and Watari of course. I'd been told he'd usually spend his holidays at the Wammy house with the other kids and adults, but would make the exception this time for me since I'd left my home for him and put up with the three boys.

There are times where I believe L could quite possibly be sweeter than the candy he eats.

The boys had wanted to meet my family right off the bat and had practically begged me to let them come. L was against it, but I couldn't say no for the life of me. They were still in that stage where everything they did was adorable and I was hopeless to decline them anything. Within reason of course.

We had arrived at the airport at the early time of six a.m. The boys seemed well rested, L hardly slept anyway, but I was about to fall over from exhaustion. Near had stayed by my side, hugging my leg to make sure I didn't topple over, while Mello harassed Matt by chasing him with a dirty handkerchief. I wasn't about to stop them considering I was too tired to, but it didn't help that we were getting stares. I cursed the day the two were older and still harassing each other this way.

How did I know it would happen? Call it a sixth sense.

Mello stopped chasing Matt when we saw the plane land. It was a very bright morning with the snow reflecting light off of pretty much everything. So seeing was not much of an issue.

It wasn't long before the passengers got off the plane and entered the terminal. My sister was the first to be seen and had ran as fast as she could to hug me. Near had to immediately let go of my leg when she jumped into the hug. Suddenly, I didn't feel so tired anymore.

Although she was sixteen now, she was easy to pick up and swing around. "Sayu! I've missed you so much!"

She hugged a bit tighter. "I've missed you too! I can't believe we're in England!" She looked over at L. "Thank you so much Ryuzaki!"

Another reason we had to stay in a house and not the orphanage. No one in my family knew who 'Ryuzaki' really was. They just know that he was a classmate of mine before we became intimate. The boys knew about this fact and promised to refer to L as Ryuzaki until the time that my family left.

The next family member in sights was my mother who had hugged me just as tightly as Sayu had. After her hug, and a hug from my father, the two noticed the three little heads peeking out from behind me.

"Dear lord, son." Came the reply of my father. "You've only been living with him a few months and you adopted!"

I could only chuckle. "No, dad. Not technically. They're Ryuzaki's brothers."

At that, the three smiled innocently… for the moment.

L nodded. "I adopted from the orphanage where Wammy adopted me. They weren't exactly favoured among other adults."

"Hey," Mello spoke up. "We are adorable, and you know it."

"Yes you are!" My mother began to gush as she pulled the boys all in for a hug. The three didn't seem to mind, but I could see that she had them in a hold where they could hardly breathe. "Oh Light, you're so lucky! I wish I could live closer to them! My little darlings!"

"Excuse me?" I chuckled out. "Mom, you don't mean…"

"Well, Light, how exactly are you going to give me grandkids with another male? I'll take this over nothing any day!"

"Grandkids?" Matt commented.

Mello shrugged. "Never had a grandma before. You guys?"

Two heads began shaking.

Mello then looked up at my father. "Does this make you our grandpa then?"

I father paled a bit before he coughed into his hand. "I… I suppose…"

"Cool!" Matt exclaimed. "More family to annoy!"

An eye-roll was my only response. "Well, we should get going." I began as I grabbed my mother's and sister's bags. "Wammy has the car ready for us and I wanna get you guys settled in right away."

When my mother let go of the boys, they immediately began to help me with a few bags. I kept a close eye on them though. Lord knows only _they_ would be able to mess up helping with luggage.

My father chuckled a bit. "You seem worried."

I glanced at him. "They came from the same orphanage as Ryuzaki. I'm pretty sure they have the knowledge and skill to take over the world at any given moment. Of course I'm worried."

Another chuckle. "I was just as scared with you when you were nine. When you began solving quadratic equations on your own I was almost too sure I was looking at the end of the earth right there. But then you got to high school and you seemed to even out."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "I was one. They are three. They over power us."

Just as I'd looked back to the boys, I saw Mello chasing Matt yet again threatening to squash him with Sayu's suitcase.

I sighed a bit. "Then again. They _are_ children."

* * *

The whole holiday was spent with smiles and laughter. Even my father, who had been more than hesitant of the whole 'adopting' thing, was having a blast.

Once we'd gotten to L's home away from home, Watari would to cook for us while the boys would harass each other over again. This time, however, Sayu helped. She favoured Matt a bit more and helped him with dodging Mello a few times, but was more than happy to spend time with Near and Matt themselves. My mother loved to cuddle Near, who was also quite fond of her, and would play a game or two with him. Surprisingly though, my father was very interested with Mello. Probably due to the fact that they had much in common when it came to policing or justice.

I was more than happy to see everyone getting along for the holidays. Even L came out of his shell a bit. But I suppose that was due to me being there most times.

However, there was one night that didn't go so well.

It had been late on Christmas Eve, and I had just put the boys to bed. We had only been talking for about an hour before a loud scream echoed throughout the house from the boy's room. I recognized it immediately and ran to get Mello as fast as I could, L and Watari – with a bag of ice – close behind.

My family had followed us of course but were more than shocked at the sight of Mello kicking and thrashing about on the floor while the other two boys stayed in their beds, fear coursing through their eyes. They calmed down a bit when they saw L hold his legs down, but were back into panic again when Mello turned and bit my arm. Albeit, he was unconscious and had no idea he'd even done so, but it still hurt. Not to mention the droplets of blood than leaked out.

I managed to do my part though and held down Mello's arms while Watari placed the ice on his open stomach.

He woke up immediately and screeched at the cold. His pupils were tiny and his eyes shot from the pure fear of his nightmare. It had been awhile since it was this bad, since the day he'd told me his past to be precise, but L still hadn't found the right therapy for him yet, so he still had nightmares once or twice.

Mello looked over to me and gasped when he saw the blood from my forearm.

I pulled him into a hug though. "Don't worry about it, Mello. I'm fine. I was more worried about you than anything else."

He hugged me back half-heartedly. "I'm sorry. I tried to wake up… but I…"

"Night terrors?" My father interrupted. When I nodded, he kneeled down to Mello's level and opened up his arms to the blonde.

With hesitation, Mello crawled over and took my father's hands. When Mello was pulled into a hug, he said, "I know it's scary having to go through them. In fact I used to have them myself. But I promise you that it will get better. And if you ever need someone to speak to, you'll always have me. Okay?"

The blonde nodded before hugging him back. "Thank you."

My father grinned. "Anything for my grandson."

I couldn't help the smile. I knew how uneasy my dad had been with me moving in with another male, not to mention the three boys we – unintentionally – adopted. But seeing him with Mello, and calling him his grandson, I felt almost at peace with the world now. Like nothing was better than this moment right here. We were a family now.

Not your typical family.

But very close.

In the end I had to rinse my wound from Mello's bite, but my dad took care of putting the boys to bed afterwards. My mother helped by reading them a few poems before they fell asleep, and my sister helped me and L with bandaging the cut.

When all was done, we all headed to bed. But not before my father pulled me aside to compliment me on the way I handled Mello's nightmare.

"You did well, son. I'm glad to see your mother and I taught you well."

I grinned a bit while rubbing my bandage. "Thanks. But it's honestly just intuition now. Whenever they need me, I'm there to help. I think you helped a lot more tonight than I did."

He shook his head. "I just have more experience. But I feel I should let you know, I wasn't too happy with knowing you had three boys living with you and Ryuzaki. Now that I've had a chance to see you with your family first hand, I can safely say that I was wrong to misjudge you and your choices. I see how much the boys need you, and how much you need them." He gave a small sigh. "And with that, you have my blessings from here on out."

I grinned wider before giving him a hug. "Thank you, dad. But I doubt you'll still be comfortable with Ryuzaki being by my side as my boyfriend."

A huff of laughter escaped his lips. "Just until Sayu finds a boy. You may be my son, but no one is good enough for my little girl."

Just as he said that, L had walked by. He just couldn't resist the temptation.

"Sayu or Light?"

He paused his steps for a mere minute before I chased after him, threatening to suffocate him with a pillow. All the while my father shook his head at us, I suppose wondering how I could have fallen for the guy in the first place.

Honestly… even I question it sometimes.


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Short chapter today guys - thanks to a reviewer who gave me a semi decent good idea that I couldn't pass up - and I won't be updating for a while yet. My headache is killer now and I can't even sum up the strength to keep going on with better chapters. Hope you can forgive me. D:  
_**

**_Anyways, enjoy and thank you to all!_**

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

My anger had only just began to bubble over now. Why was he staring at her like that?! What did he see in her?!

Matt had been overly nice to Light's sister Sayu ever since he'd first met her. It didn't help that Sayu was overly nice back, and that made me especially angry. Why? I was unsure. Other than the fact that Matt was _my_ friend and she was WAY older than him, I didn't see why I was so angry.

I'd endured two whole days of his gawking and staring at her. It was Christmas and thanks to him I couldn't even enjoy my presents. Not even the chocolate bar bigger than my arm. I was simply too upset to even think about having fun. It was almost nightmarish.

Maybe this was a nightmare.

Fat chance.

Matt gave a small sigh, still staring at Sayu from the staircase while she read. "Isn't she pretty, Mel?"

I growled. "No, she isn't. And quit saying stuff like that! She wouldn't be interested anyway."

"You don't know. Maybe when I'm older."

"Dude, by the time you're her age, she could already be married by then."

"Then I'll challenge her husband to a duel for her hand!" He said triumphantly.

I clenched my teeth in anger and walked away. I didn't want to hit him for being stupid, but I was dangerously close. But, aside from my anger, there was also a weird pain in my chest. It hurt the more I thought about Matt wanting to be with Sayu. I didn't know what to do about it, so I went to find Light or L. Hopefully one of them would know what to do.

Luck be with me, I found both of them working on a case together in the study.

Light was the first to see me, and it didn't take him long to realize something was amiss.

"What's up, Mello? Something wrong?"

I was fuming at this point. "Matt won't stop ogling your sister. It's starting to get annoying."

L piped in at this point. "Matt has a crush on Sayu?"

Light grinned. "That's adorable."

"It is not!" I exclaimed. "He's acting weird, and I don't like it."

L finally turned to me. "Why does it bother you so much?"

I gawked at him. "I'm not bothered by it! I just don't get why he's acting so weird!"

Light chuckled a bit. "It's a small crush, Mello. I doubt Matt has any real feelings for her. And even if he did, why do you care? How does it affect you in any way?"

I tried to find a reason but was only stuttering as a reply. I hadn't known why I cared, I just knew that I did. Besides, Matt was my friend, and I'd be damned if I lost him to a girl.

I crossed my arms. "I want her to leave."

"Mello…"

"I mean it, Light! Matt is _my_ friend! I can't lose him to her!"

A strange look spread across both his face and L's. I hadn't known what it meant though, but it seemed like they were seeing something that I wasn't. Why couldn't they just come out and say it?

Light grinned then. "Mello, I promise that you won't lose Matt to Sayu. He's way too young for her anyways, and I'm pretty sure she has her heart set on Hideki Ryuga at the moment. Everything will go back to normal when the holidays are over."

I wasn't convinced. "You mean it?"

Light pet my hair to assure me. "Yes. Now go back to playing. We have to finish this case before my parents get home."

I sighed slightly. "Fine."

I then ran off to my room to terrorize Near for a bit. Lord knows Matt would be unavailable for hours to come anyway.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

"Well, wasn't that interesting?"

"I agree." L replied as he turned back to his laptop. "To think, more than one of them has developed a crush."

I snickered. "I always thought Mello and Matt were a little too close to each other."

The detective beside me took a sip of his tea. "Indeed. I wonder how all this will turn out in the future."

"You don't know, maybe they could actually wind up together in the future. It wouldn't surprise me in the least."

"Yes, but they are technically referred to as my brothers."

"Not by blood. Mello and Matt share no family ties. I'd support them if they became a couple."

"As would I, but I still see a few issues regarding the union."

I scoffed a bit. "Oh dear, we're starting to sound like shippers."

"Like you sister and her friends?"

I nodded before realizing. "Didn't they used to ship us before we became an item?"

The detective didn't say a word. He merely took his cup of tea and sipped it up for a good minute or two. Right when the cup emptied, he left his seat and strode over to the window.

Being as overdramatic as he could be, he replied with, "What has become of us, Light?"

My eyes rolled yet again.


	14. Chapter 14

**_A/N: Happy news! My headache was almost completely gone by this morning and I was ready and able to work again. Will begin posting new chapters tomorrow! For now, I must rest. (To be completely honest, writing tends to make me forget I have a headache, so it definitely helps.)  
_**

**_Enjoy and thank you all for the wonderful feedback!_**

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

I'd had a nightmare for the first time in a year. In it I saw everyone that I loved – Matt, Mello, L, Light – but they all looked at me like I was a blight to the world. When I went to speak with them, they would back away with a look of disgust. It made me feel like I was nothing more than a nuisance. Like they didn't care what happened to me or whether I lived or died…

Like they didn't love me.

I tried to talk to them… to yell and scream their names. But no words formed, and they only laughed at me. I cried and they continued to laugh. It was sickening… the feeling of being unloved. Unwanted.

When the laughing got louder and my tears wouldn't stop, I woke up. I was still crying though, and I desperately looked around to find Mello and Matt. Matt was still below me in the bunk bed, and Mello was still in his single bed across the room. Nothing had changed… but I still felt sick to my stomach. Like I was still unloved.

I climbed down from my bed to wake Matt. It was an utter failure since he slept like the dead and had barely paid attention to me. So I crossed the room and crawled into Mello's Bed. Thankfully, he woke up almost instantly.

"Near?" He asked tiredly, not even looking at my face. "What are you doing? Go back to bed."

"Mello…" I choked out, sniffling a bit.

He grumbled and was about to yell at me, when he turned around and saw the tears on my cheeks. He had even stopped in mid rage to calm down a bit for my sake.

"What happened?" He asked, rather unhappily.

"I had a nightmare. In it, you all were ignoring me, like you didn't love me…"

"Near, you're smarter than this. Of course we love you, we all do. It was just a bad dream."

I wiped away a tear. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight? I'd feel better if I could do that."

The blonde sighed heavily. I knew he wasn't fond of me, so asking this much was a long shot for me.

He pushed some of his blanket aside and replied with, "Get in."

I smiled happily as I hugged him close. He didn't hug back, but he didn't push me away either.

I slipped under the covers as well as the blonde before me, and got comfortable. Before Mello drifted off though, his back to me, I had one more request.

"Could you tell me a story?"

Mello growled. "You're pushing your luck, kid."

I cringed a bit and tried to fall asleep. I knew it was a slim chance he would tell me a story.

However…

A small sigh and the sheets ruffled a bit before Mello's face came into view. "What kind of story?"

I grinned a bit. "A happy one?"

Mello groaned a bit. "Alright.

"So, there was this guy, who was born into a very poor family…"

I scowled a bit. "This isn't a very happy start."

"Just keep listening, and no more interruptions.

"Alright, so there was a guy, who was born into a very poor family. Time and time again they would go through their lives without food and barely little water. But the guy, a boy who was only ten years old, would smile every day. In turn, this made his family smile. He would do tricks for them and tell jokes to make them laugh. His sisters, who had nothing but ragdolls to play with, would smile with genuine delight over their brother's jokes. The elder brother, who had lost his arm in the war, would laugh heartily with the girls. The mother was not a pretty woman, and their father was not a wealthy man, but still they smiled through everything. Why? Because of this boy. A child who knew no such thing as sadness.

"Now, on the other side of the land, in a castle taller than any other building, lived a spoiled and rotten prince. Being heir to the throne he would inherit the powers to control his lands, and that thought made him greedy. He'd spit on his servants, he'd curse and repeat vulgarity wherever and to whomever he chose. Despite all this, though, he never smiled. He never knew true happiness. Not a jester or a joke could make this prince happy. He simply did not know how to smile.

"This prince had another flaw, for he did not know how to love. His parents had not shown him what it was to love somebody, and in turn the prince had not learned what it was to have loved or to give love."

I had become intrigued by the story. I knew Mello was a good story teller, but rarely had he ever told a story to anyone. It was fascinating.

He continued. "One day, the boy and his family visited the town square, unbeknownst to them that the prince had done the same that day. The boy was still smiling, as usual, and its infectiousness caused many of the people around him to do the same. When he began singing songs and telling jokes, the people in the square had forgotten all their troubles and played along with him. However, the prince noticed his subjects were not paying attention to him and soon found the boy, who he'd thought a clown, and demanded to know the reason for his foolishness.

"The boy replied, _'What do you mean, my prince? I'm only having some fun! It makes everyone smile!'_

"_'Oh please!'_ The prince said with a snobby and uncaring voice. _'All you're doing is making a fool of yourself. Everyone is laughing at you and how pathetic you are.'_"

"_'So what if they are?' _The boy asked. _'They're having fun at least.'_

"The Prince paled. _'F-fun? How? I've never had fun before. How do you buy this… fun?'_

"The boy shook his head, his smile growing a bit. _'You can't buy fun, my prince! You feel it in your heart!'_

"The prince was silent now. The boys smile seemed to… genuine. He'd never seen a face like his in his castle before. Sure, he'd seen a smile or two, unknowing how to make one himself, but never had he seen a smile so bright and cheery. He was a commoner, wasn't he? What did he have to smile about?

"The prince then asked this of the child, and the boy's smile grew more. _'What isn't there to be happy about?! I have a momma and a papa! My brother lived through the war, and my sisters are still alive! If we don't have money, then we have each other. Money and power can buy you a lot of things, but I can't get my family back with it if they weren't alive. I'd be sad if I had only money and no one to share it with.'_

"Once again, the prince was silenced. The words of the little boy in his presence humbled him. He had a knowing of the world he did not. He knew what it was to be happy and have people to love him. It was a luxury no money on earth could buy for him.

"The prince bowed to the little boy. _'My deepest apologies, young one. My actions were nothing more than despicable. I hope you can forgive me.'_

"The boy picked him up from his bow. _'It's alright. No need to apologize. You can make it up to me by singing with me. Then we both look like fools!'_

"And for the first time in the prince's life, a genuine smile spread across his face."

I grinned happily at the end of the story, my eyes growing heavy. "I liked that story."

Mello only shrugged. "I've come up with better ones. But are you satisfied?"

I nodded.

"Great, now go to sleep we have class in the morning."

My response was shutting my eyes tightly and waiting for Mello to drift off himself. When I believed he was asleep, I opened my eyes again and cuddled closely to him. I'd forgotten my stuffed bear on my bed and needed something to cuddle while I slept. Thankfully, Mello didn't push me away. I'd like to think it was because he cared for me, but I knew it was probably just because he was asleep.

Then again, had he not cared, would he have told me a story at all?

I smiled at the thought. Mello loved me. He just didn't say it.


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/N: Starting to lose ideas for chapters guys. XD I mean, I know how this story will end, but I don't want to make it too long before getting there. So, I'll have to make longer chapters. (Sorry?)_**

**_Also, I'm thinking about making this a three part series (One with the Wammy boys as kids, one with them as teens, and another as young adults) plus a prequel so we see how L and Light Met. If this interests any of you, please let me know._**

**_Also, thanks for all the support. It means a lot to me as a writer and you're all wonderful people for the compliments! (Sonsidering I don't deserve half of them :P)_**

**_With all that being said, Enjoy!_**

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I woke up in a haze of ecstasy. The past week had been nothing but work for me and L, and it was good to have some kind of release from it all. For the past five days all I had done was help write up tests with the other adults, keep the boys from killing each other, and helping Mello get over his fear of storms. And sadly, there had been more than a few in that week to make him more than skittish. L himself had to crack a few tough cases, one involving second degree murder, and had spent the better part of the nights going over evidence and clues as to who had done what. By the end of that week we had been at each other's throats.

I had still been angry at him last night, for an unknown reason now, but he seemed to be calm.

It was then he had pushed his luck.

"You always look sexy when you're angry, you know that."

I glared at the detective who was staring at me intently. If looks could kill, L would be a corpse right about then.

After I didn't reply, he slid off his chair and onto the bed. "You aren't still mad at me are you?"

My glare deepened. "No, L, I make this face when I'm absolutely _dying_ to have sex with you."

"Oh, good!" He had said before pressing his lips to mine. However much I struggled against him though, he was determined to keep me from pushing him off.

When he left my lips for air, I growled. "You know I was being sarcastic!"

"Yes, but you have an art form to it. It makes you irresistible some days."

I tried to push him off again, but no dice. "L, I'm serious! Get off!"

He had only laughed, a rarity for him. "Light-kun, you know you want me to stay. That's why you're so frustrated right now. All that pent up energy and cravings is making you stir crazy."

"I swear, by all that is holy, if you don't get off of me…!"

His lips had connected with mine again and I couldn't speak anymore. This time, however, I melted into the touch. However much I hated it, L had been correct. I had more than enough pent up energy to make me feel angry. Not to mention the stressing week I'd had and the fact that the detective hadn't given me any 'attention' in a month. Honestly, I should have seen all this coming from the beginning.

When I woke up this morning, L was nowhere to be seen. But I hadn't cared too much. My stress levels had significantly lowered to a less dangerous proportion.

Suddenly, the man of the hour walked in with a cup of tea in hand. He had a sort of cheeky grin on his face.

"Is my Light-kun happy again?"

I only groaned in response as I pulled a sheet over my head.

L chuckled. He seemed to be in a very cheeky mood lately. "Light, just because I won last night, doesn't mean you should be a sore loser." He said then took a sip from his cup.

I peeked at him. "And now sex is a competition to you? How on earth did I manage to fall for you?"

He crawled onto the bed now, having set his cup down on the desk. "Light, even you're smart enough to realize that sex, no matter what or with who, is always going to be a competition. Especially in a relationship like ours. In the end, it all amounts to who's stronger, or smarter, faster, or sneakier. Last night, I managed to be all of them."

I gave a slight chuckle. "You won't be so lucky when I manage to drug you and tie you to the bed."

L's face was priceless. A mix of intrigue and fear, with just a little bit of hunger. "Light Yagami, who knew you had a kinky side."

I grinned as I pushed him away to get out of bed to get changed. As I was pulling my sweater over my head, I mumbled to myself, "I wonder if I can find a drug strong enough to keep you under for a few days."

At his curiosity, I simply told him it was nothing.

He didn't buy it, but knew I'd never say otherwise.

As I'd made my way out the door I decided to check on the boys. It was a nice day, so I assumed Mello would be in a good mood. And Near was always in a good mood when I was around so I had no worries about him. Matt I hadn't seen for a few days though, so I was a bit worried for him.

When I found them in their room, Near and Mello were huddled around Matt who looked like he was crying.

I reacted immediately and ran to his side.

Sure as the sunrise, he was crying. But why.

At the moment he saw me, he started sobbing more.

I looked to Mello once I had him in my lap and close. "What happened?"

Mello scoffed. "He keeps saying you and L are gonna break up."

"What! The preposterous, L and I aren't breaking up."

"Yes you are!" Matt sobbed out. "It's the way things are! When people fight it means they don't love each other! You and L have done nothing but fight this week, and that means you're going to be leaving soon."

"Matt, where on earth would you get an idea like that?" I asked calmly, truly hurt by what he'd thought about my relationship with L. Sure, we had been fighting this week, but it was due to stress and pent up energy. Everything was fine now, though.

He sniffled a bit while cuddling close to my chest. "All my parents did was fight with each other! And soon enough, my mom left me with my alcoholic, druggie of a dad! Neither of my parents loved me, but I loved them. And they left me! My mother left me, my dad abused me until the cops were called, and I lost the only family I'd ever known! When I had you and L, I had people who loved me. Now you're gonna go away too!"

I couldn't believe my ears. My poor Matt. Left alone by his parents to suffer the wounds of never being loved. How could anyone…?

I hugged him just a bit closer now. "Matt, I know it's hard listening to two people who love one another, fight. But know that it's not gonna tear L and me apart. It's been a stressful week for the two of us, and I promise we've made up now."

The little red-head looked up at me. "You mean that?"

I kissed his head. "I do. Believe me, if I didn't want to be with L I would have left months ago. But I love L." I smiled happily while hugging Matt a bit tighter. "I love all my boys."

Matt snuggled into me. "I love you too, Light."

Just then, the other two boys joined in the hug. Mello, however, just had to start up.

"But you love me the most, right?"

Near pushed him and took his spot in the hug. "Not likely. You know I'm the favourite."

Just when Mello was about to push back, Matt kicked them both off his bed. "Oh please. I'm way more fun than the both of you together. I _must_ be the favourite."

Before I could step in and tell them that I loved them all equally, Matt had been dragged to the floor by Mello and was now at the hands of the other two boys. I hadn't even had a chance to speak before they chased him out the door and into other rooms to wreak havoc.

I sighed. "Well, at least they aren't sad anymore."


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/N: Well, another chapter down and ready for reading. I woke up early today so maybe another chapter will be done before tonight. Hopefully!  
_**

**_Anyways, Thank you again to all the followers, reviewers, and awesome folk who continue to follow this - rather pathetic - story, and I'm glad to see you're all enjoying it._**

**_Also, just a quick note, if you see any spelling/grammar errors, I'm terribly sorry for it. My office word is terrible at picking them out and telling me about them. -_-_**

**_So, with that being said, Enjoy! :D _**

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

It was the end of January now and it seemed like everyone was catching the yearly flu. Matt, L, and myself included. Near was always lucky enough to avoid it each year, but I would guess he didn't find it lucky this year. Not with Light waiting on us hand and foot.

L got 'better' after a day so he was up and about, much to Light's annoyance - having told him to rest until he stopped sniffling. But the detective wouldn't listen, as per usual. Matt and I, however, were still bed ridden for at least a week. Matt had a weaker stomach than me so he vomited almost hourly, while I myself couldn't stop shivering for the life of me. It was a pain to have five blankets cover me, only to be freezing cold. I couldn't even imagine Matt's pain.

I had just felt my shivers die down a bit when a sudden hand pressed against my head. It was Light, still worried for our health.

"Well, your fevers have gone down slightly. But I don't think you'll be out of bed anytime soon."

I groaned. It wasn't easy for me to stay in bed all day and do nothing. Matt had no problem with that, but then again he was too busy throwing up or dry heaving to play his games to pass the time. In a sense, we'd switched places. Matt was now active and running to and fro, while I was in bed doing absolutely nothing. What irony.

L soon strolled in, a bit tired from being sick as well but still more lively than us. "Watari just left for the store. He's going to pick up some Gravol and ginger ale for Matt, as well as some ibuprofen for Mello."

"And you?" Light asked, folding his arms. "What's going to happen to you?"

"As I've said before, Light, I'm absolutely fine. I have a high tolerance for illnesses and rarely do I ever get sick. I shall be fine."

Light hadn't bought it though. I guess because the whole time he was talking the man was swaying back and forth. We could all tell he needed just a bit more rest.

Light held up two fingers. "How many digits do you see?"

It wasn't good that L squinted, but his answer was worse. "Four?"

We could all sense the eye-roll coming from the brunette. "Alright, L, back to bed."

L only scoffed. "Light, I'm fine. I just need to…"

Before he could defend himself, Matt ran past them holding his mouth and stomach. He ran right into the bathroom of our room and was soon bent over the toilet in puke position. We were one of the lucky kids in the orphanage. We had our own personal bathroom like L and Light, as well as some other kids, so Matt didn't have to run far to vomit.

The sounds he emitted were enough to make me vomit as well. Thankfully, my stomach was a lot stronger than his.

Light sighed. "Stay here in case Matt needs you. I'll be back in a moment."

L paled. "Where are you going?"

As he walked out the door he replied with a stern expression. "I'm grabbing us some blankets and pillows, and we're going to be staying in here for the night. I'm officially declaring the three of you to be quarantined until further notice."

"What! Light, I have cases to work on…!"

"Which you can finish _after_ you get better. Or better yet, I'll solve them myself, considering I'm not too sick to make crucial mistakes."

And with that, Light was gone.

I had to admit, when Light wanted something done, he was a scary man. Not to mention he was our mother/father figure so it was hard to argue with him. L didn't stand a chance.

At the moment L sat next to my bed, more than frustrated with Light having put his foot down, I snickered. "Serves you right for parading around and boasting about not being sick."

L gave me a look but exhaled. "You're right. I must be sick if I didn't see this coming."

* * *

Light had returned shortly with blankets and pillows for both L and himself. He'd also gotten L's laptop and began working on his current case. When L was better, he would look at the files again then solve the case himself, but having Light do so for him wasn't exactly ideal. The detective always had a pride issue when it came to his cases. If he didn't solve them quickly or at all, he was immediately on edge. Light was an exception, since the two thought alike when it came to solving case files, but he still seemed on edge when the brunette took over.

Watari came back in no time and gave Matt his Gravol and a glass of ginger ale. I took my ibuprofen, weakly but honestly, and I could feel the shivers die down quite a lot. Matt had stopped vomiting now as well so it looked like smooth sailing ahead.

For now at least.

Near had stayed atop his bunk bed, keeping quiet and playing with his plushies, while everything went on. Other than the extra attention, he didn't seem too fazed by what was going on with us. He never got sick so why should he care?

L and Light slept on the floor – well, L slept… for once – and it wasn't long before peace was in our room once again.

Matt fell asleep almost instantly while I stayed up. My nose was too stuffed up to breathe properly anyway, so I didn't see much use in slumber at the moment. I stayed awake to watch the time pass before me and listen to the orphanage with its many creaks and squeaks.

Light then turned to me, the glow of the laptop screen illuminating his face. "You should get some sleep, you know."

I mumbled. Nothing coherent, but just a tired mumble.

The brunette smiled at me. "Would you like a story?"

Before I could answer, Near quietly jumped from his bunk and soundlessly ran to Light's side flopping on his stomach. "I would."

I tried to get up as well, but I was too weak and ended up falling into my pillow again. "Sure. But it looks like I'm staying here for it."

There were sometimes where Light had enough mommy senses to surprise me. Now being one of them.

He got up from his seat, having put the laptop away, picked up Near, and crawled into my bed so I could cuddle up to him too. It felt good to have someone love you enough that they would risk getting sick for you. However much Light would deny he ever got ill, I still felt bad that there was a risk that he might indeed catch what we had.

Once we were all comfortable, Light started his stories. They were once stories told to him by his grandmother in Japan when he was young. There was one involving a boy who had been born from a peach that I'd loved, but I couldn't remember the others. I was too hazy to really think straight.

Before I drifted off, I heard Near tell Light about the story I told him a few weeks ago.

Light seemed intrigued. "Oh? And how was it?"

The little fluff ball yawned. "I liked it. You should get him to tell you the story when he's better."

"Maybe he could write it down." The man suggested. "I'd love to read it."

I beamed at this. I loved the thought of having a knack for storytelling. Maybe I could be an author if this whole 'becoming L' thing didn't work out.

I finally felt myself drift off into slumber. But not before feeling a kiss to my forehead and hearing Light whisper goodnight into my ear.

I snuggled into him a bit more. Wishing that this moment would never end.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I watched as the two boys fell into slumber before me. Sure it had been a pain to take care of them while they were sick, but it was moments like this that I'd loved more than anything.

And I loved my boys. And they loved me.

As much as I liked being in Japan, with my parents, sister, and friends, I could admit that I wasn't happy there. Had I stayed, maybe I would have had a dream job, lots of cash, and more than enough women to wait on me hand and foot. But looking at that now, it seemed so fruitless. L was always there when I needed someone to love me, or listen to me, and more than once he put a case on hold to be by my side when I needed him.

As for the three little terrors known as Matt, Near, and Mello, I loved them with all my heart. Maybe I was afraid of them in the beginning, but now my fears were moot. I loved them like my own children, and I would do anything to keep them safe. Had I stayed in Japan, I wouldn't have any of this. No L, no Matt and Mello to take care of, no little Near to cuddle. I'd have been alone and bored, going through a life I couldn't live.

I was wary if I'd made the right choice in coming to England. Now I see that it was the best decision of my life.

I lay my head back on the pillow now, careful not to disturb Mello or Near as they slept. I was almost too sure, if he wasn't sick, Matt would have joined us as well. Hell, even L would have joined in with us. And I liked those thoughts.

I drifted off into a deep sleep. My dreams filled with happiness yet again. I didn't like to think about not having my boys.

Because they were mine.

L, Near, Matt, Mello. They were my family now. As much as my parents and Sayu were. And I loved them all as much as the other.

I suppose they loved me as well, for when I woke up the next morning L and Matt had joined us three in bed, Matt cuddling my leg while L slept at the end of the bed. I suppose he couldn't find room to cuddle me as well.

I guess I'd have to make it up to him after he was better.


	17. Chapter 17

**_A/N: Warning, this chapter deals with... erm... less than pleasent content. Nothing M rated... but nothing good._**

**_Reviews welcomed._**

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

As a six year old, there wasn't much to my life other than playing and study. Yes, I was first in line to become L's successor, but I loved the idea of playing with my toys than I did solving cases. It was why I lost myself in them so often. It was a chance to relieve the stresses of study and keep myself sane. Mello and Matt had their own ways to unwind, but my way suited me best. More times than not, however, it caught the attention of a bully or two. I'm six, and bored, and they have the audacity to bully me for being so. What complete and utter fools.

Yet, there was nothing I could do about it. I was smaller and weaker than them. Not to mention the fact that no one stood up for me. It's why I stayed close to Mello. Most kids were afraid of him, so I had a wall of protection from them all.

Today however, I had no protection.

I had just celebrated my one year of being in the Wammy house and L had gotten me a stuffed bear as a present. It was almost my height, with soft satiny fur, and had a large red ribbon on his neck. I had loved it from the moment I'd opened it from its box. I took it almost everywhere with me, and cuddled it when I went to sleep. Among all my stuffys, this one was my favourite by far.

However, I did not have it for very long.

I had been playing with my bear in the playroom all by myself after my classes were over, and hadn't noticed three teenagers enter the room along with me. When I had noticed, it was too late to run away.

Peter was there again. And with no Mello for him to bother, he targeted me.

"Aw, what a nice little bear." He said sarcastically, making his friends smile. "Which faggot gave it to you? L, or his little sex toy?"

I hadn't liked the way they spoke about L and Light so I tried to leave. But the moment I walked past them, they grabbed the bear out of my hands and pushed me away. Because they were taller than me, they passed it between each other while I tried to grab it, before reaching Peter's hands.

"Oops." He remarked as a tear ripped through the silence of the room.

The bear's head fell to the floor, stuffing and fluff scattering everywhere. I felt my heart tear into pieces at watching it get destroyed.

I tried to hold back the tears. But my scrunched up face didn't fool Peter.

"What a wimp! These things are a dime a dozen. Just get a new one."

I swallowed my tears back. "But… but L…"

Peter only laughed. "Oh what, L got it for you? Why, 'cause you kiss his arse so much?"

"Hey!"

We all looked toward the voice which came from the door. It was Mello, standing tall and defiant. I suppose he wasn't pleased with how they were treating me.

"What do you want, freak?" Peter growled.

Mello strode in then. "Leave him alone. Go shit on somebody else's day."

Peter's friends mocked him with an 'ooh'.

Peter only scoffed. "Big words for a small boy." He emphasized with a shove to Mello's shoulder. He then sneered. "Although, you're not much of a boy. More like a pretty, little, girl. You remind me of a drag queen."

He began backing Mello into a corner. Before things could escalate, he looked at me with a serious expression. "Near, get out of her, now!"

I did as told and ran as fast as I could out the door. I then hurried to find either L or Light so they could help with the situation. Hopefully, I'd find them before anything happened to Mello.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I admit, when Peter started backing me into a corner, I got scared. But I didn't show him how scared I was. I wouldn't allow him to get to me in that way. When I had nowhere to keep stepping, he pushed his hand against my throat. Not tightly, but enough to strike fear into my soul.

He leaned in closer, the smell of cigarettes on his breath, he whispered. "I suppose you'll do for a quick release."

That's when the sound of a zipper broke through the silence.

The two friends paled. "P-Peter! What on earth…?"

"Shut up! You know he wants it. Little faggot probably gets it from that red-head of his all too often."

The other friend shook his head. "Dude, I'm out. You're sick in the head!" He exclaimed as he ran out of the room with the other.

"Cowards!" Peter yelled before turning back to me. "Well. It looks like we have some privacy now."

There was a shuffle of fabric and his jeans were soon around his ankles. He wore no boxers underneath so he was already half naked. I dared not to look after that one glance though. He wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing me scared.

He tried to push me down to my knees but I fought back. This only made him angrier though, causing him to slam my head into the wall.

"Suck it! Or I'm going in dry."

I spat right in his face the moment he tried again. And this landed me a slap to the face and was sent to the floor. Sadly, I'd been all too familiar with this treatment from my past. The only difference was I wasn't afraid of Peter. He could take me now, and it would probably scar me, but no matter what I would rather be in this place than Near. That fluff ball couldn't have this kind of trauma in his life. I was happy to have walked in when I did.

Peter got on all fours and began to tie my hands with his belt. The moment he tried to strip me though, I kicked him hard in the chin and sent him flying. He managed to re-establish himself before I could run though and soon had me on my back, choking from his hand and legs pinned to the floor.

His other hand just lightly grazed the hem of my jeans. "Anything you want to say, princess?"

I spat at him again. "Eat shit."

Right as he was about to strip me though…

The weight was lifted off me and Peter went flying into the far end of the room. I instantly let go of the breath I had been holding and thanked all the gods I knew that I was saved from the torment.

I looked behind me to see Light, Miss Abigale, Near, and Watari, all watching on. When I looked back, L had Peter pinned against the wall with his arm on his throat. Had he no self-control at the moment, I would believe Peter would have been dead.

Miss Abigale then walked in and towards Peter while Light and Near helped me up. I got up just in time to see the lady slap Peter so hard it left a mark on his cheek.

"You disgusting, vulgar, piece of horse shit!"

We all paled at the language the lady was using. Normally she'd reprimand us for using vulgar language, but it seemed nothing could sum up what Peter was about to do more.

She slapped him again when he tried to plead innocent. "You are nothing more than scum! No! You're worse than scum! Worse than a maggot! You are a pathetic and inexcusable waste of skin! I hope you rot for the rest of your life in a prison cell, where all you're able to eat is the maggots you are associated with!"

And with that, she stormed off. Too angry to even look at the pupil she once had faith in.

Watari then came in with a pair of handcuffs. "Peter, for your actions, I will have to detain you. You are no longer welcome here at Wammys." The cuffed were shackled to him, and was the led into the halls where people watched in fear and disgust over the madman.

Light helped untie me and my arms were free at last. Actually, it seemed all of Wammy's was free. Free from Peter and his sociopathic tendencies.

Light pulled me into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Mello. You must have been so scared."

I nodded a bit before hugging him. "Yeah… but I'd have been more scared had I left Near alone with him."

He hugged me tighter. "You were very brave to have done what you did."

I smiled a bit. "Thanks."

When he let go of me it was Near's turn to hug me. "I was so scared for you, Mello. Why'd you do that?"

I sighed while hugging him back. "Let's just say you're too young to deal what Peter was about to dish out."

Near only nodded in response. Probably just happy to see that I wasn't hurt.

L suddenly chimed in. "What's say we order pizza for the house. In celebration of finally getting rid of Peter."

I raised my hand. "I second that!"

Light chuckled, looking at L but speaking to me. "For what you did for Near, I think you should get your own pizza."

I looked at the detective with pleading eyes, Near helping me a bit with his giant beady eyes.

L only sighed. "Alright. I think it's a fair deal."

I smiled happily while hugging L. The detective hugged me back, but whispered in my ear. "But only if you promise never to do something that reckless again. At least until you're in your teens."

I giggled. "I promise."


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: Incredibly short chapter this morning, but I just realized that I left Matt totally out of the picture in the last chapter. So, I decided to have some fun with this one. :D  
_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I couldn't believe what L had told me! Peter that – that… FUCKER! How DARE he even think about doing… that, to Mello! I was furious! If the cops hadn't had taken him away already, I would have found the bastard, castrate him, and shove his balls so far down his throat, that by the next day he'd shit them out!

Normally, I would never even think about using such vulgarity, but DAMMIT if I wasn't angry!

I immediately went to the infirmary where they were checking to make sure Mello was alright, as well as where the police were questioning him. Luck be with me, the questions had been finished the moment I walked in and the police had made their exit.

I jumped onto the bed and hugged Mello as tightly as I could. Teary eyed and shaking. I was elated to see he was alright and that Peter hadn't done anything to mentally harm him.

He hugged me back, a smile on his face. "Mattie, it's okay. I'm fine. Peter is gone for good and I only have a slight concussion."

"I don't care!" I cried out. "Peter could have killed you if he wanted to. And I can't lose my best friend. I just can't."

Mello hugged tighter. "You aren't going to lose me, Matt. I'm right here, like I always am. And no matter what, you will always be my best friend. Even if we aren't right next to each other."

I had no idea why I'd lost so much control now. I was always level-headed, even in the face of distress. But when I'd first learned Mello was involved, something inside me just… snapped. And now all I'd wanted was to hurt Peter as much as possible. I was beginning to act a lot like Mello did when he found out people were bullying me.

I think I might have been worse.

I didn't let go of him, but I loosened my grip on him. "I'm sorry, Mello. I didn't mean…"

He nuzzled his face closer to me. "It's okay, Mattie. I understand. Thank you for caring about me."

My breathing, which had been erratic since the moment I got the news, had finally slowed down to a more normal pace. I was so wrapped up in the feelings of anger and hate that I forgot about what was really important right now; Mello. Him, and the fact that he was alive and well. Save for the concussion, my Mello was healthy and everything would return to normal soon.

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

I leaned in towards Light. "It would seem Matt shares the same feelings for Mello."

Light snickered. "Yes, I should say so. What a lovely couple those two would make."

I put my thumbnail to my lip. "I should have seen this coming when Mello first laid eyes on him. Poor blonde was probably smitten with him from the start."

Light cocked an eyebrow at me. "'Smitten'? You from the fifties now?"

"Sixties. Get your facts straight, Light."


	19. Chapter 19

**_A/N: I needed to add more 'L P.O.V's to this story so I made up one for today.  
_**

**_Thank you again to all the followers and reviews. Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I know the chapters are shorter than they need to be, but I can't seem to get out of that rut. Oh well, maybe later on._**

**_Anyways, enjoy!_**

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

My initial thought when I first met Light Yagami was not that he would be a mother figure to Near, Matt, and Mello. In fact, I was almost certain Light would not have been favoured among the three since he took my time away from them. But it would seem he had more to offer for them than I first thought. It wasn't a bad thing, especially with all my cases taking up my schedule, but I didn't like being wrong about something.

I suppose I'd have to get over it. Light was very surprising as it was, and I should have factored that into the equation when I'd first seen it.

I had to admit, it was rather refreshing seeing my successors adopt him as their mother figure. Although, of course, Light was male, he still had the soft voice and the warmth of a mothers love. I would think he learned it from his own mother, but maybe it was just the way he was. I would have never guessed so from the day we met.

He was prideful, arrogant, and just a touch of selfishness. And still, to this day, I wondered what I'd seen in him.

Perhaps I was just under his spell like the rest of his fan-base that fawned over him, and I remember hating it. I remember hating the teacher who'd forced us to work together on a project that I wanted no part of. I remember I hated how I wasn't being focussed every time I worked on the case I had moved to Japan for. I hated losing myself in the thought of him. But what I'd hated most, more than anything…

…was how much I loved him.

I hated that more than anything because everyone else loved him too. And with so much variety and spices to try, I had hated myself because I wasn't them. I thought I'd never be his choice of flavour, never be what he wanted in life. And why should I have been? With women like Takada, attractive and smart, and Misa Amane, an up-and-coming model, to drool over him, what made me so special? What did I have to offer him that they couldn't in tenfold?

I hated it. I hated it all.

The emotions, the feelings, the heart ache, the thoughts…

Everything.

Everything… but him.

And maybe, just maybe, it was enough for him.

That first kiss I had with him would forever be engrained into my memories. Because it was the first time I had actually felt loved. Not the way my successors loved me, or the way Wammy had loved me enough to adopt me. But like someone actually cared enough to want to spend every moment they had with me.

Why, after all the hate, could I have fallen for Light? I still didn't know. I wish I did know. I wish I knew what he'd done to deserve my love when barely anyone in the past did. There were beautiful women in my past, and some very handsome men, so his looks had nothing to do with it. Could it have been his intelligence? Could it be because we share the same genius? No, I doubt it. I'd fallen for him right off the bat without even being told of his intellect first. Besides, if brains was what I'd cared about in the beginning, there were more than a few candidates at Wammys. So what was it then?

I hummed to myself, closing my laptop. I'd solved this case an hour ago anyway, and now I was just thinking. I shouldn't be though. I shouldn't overthink how lucky I am that I had Light in my life and not some abusive cretin of a man.

Not like… him.

I didn't like the memories of him. I don't even like to think of his name. But could I have blamed myself then? I had been so desperate for someone to love me, I allowed myself to get hurt by him. He was very quiet about it too. No one knew until later on because he'd quietly threatened me behind everyone's back. Not even Wammy knew of my plight. But he was the first to find out by the end of it all.

He was far away from me now, but still my adopted father figure Wammy got scared for me when I'd mentioned Light. I may have known a lot about much… but love was not one of them.

Maybe it was because I wasn't sure what love was in the beginning. My parents were incapable of love when I was a child. They were so hyped up on drugs and alcohol that their feelings towards me was almost certainly not real. When I'd tried to show love, they'd just push me away. So I learned, if I'd remained emotionless, I couldn't get hurt. When I'd left them, I was so bereft of emotions I barely knew how to smile. Wammy loved me, had told me so when adopting me, but I hadn't believed him. When I'd seen actual, happy, couples with their own children, I wasn't sure what it was. I'd wanted to know what it felt like to be that happy, but I couldn't find a way to get there.

Conversely, the old saying goes, 'Good things come to those who wait'.

And low and behold, I had Light.

I sighed to myself, taking a sip of tea. Still wondering how on earth I could have fallen for the brunette. What had made him more special than anyone else? What was it I had fallen for?

Suddenly, two hands slowly embraced me from behind and I felt warm breath hit my neck. The smell of fabric softener told me it was Light and I immediately felt warmer inside. Like I had the day the met him.

"I'm taking the boys for a walk," he said calmly. "Would you like to join us?"

I casually took hold of his arm and cuddled in closer, feeling warm in his touch. "I'd love to. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be down shortly."

A kiss to my cheek was his response before letting me go and heading back out the door.

I had my conclusion now.

It had nothing to do with his intelligence, or his good looks. I had simply fallen for him, because no one else had ever made me feel this way. Warm and complete. I wasn't just a shell made to work for the people who had been wronged. I felt human when I was with him, more so than I had been for the longest time. Why couldn't anyone else do so? Because no one loved me the way he did. No one cared for me in the manner he had. To him, I was worth his time, priceless instead of worthless, and had more to offer to him than any of his fan-base had. He'd chosen me, when I barely even deserved him. And I'd loved him so dearly for that.

Even more, he'd helped me learn to love. Even when all I'd known from my past was to remain emotionless.

He'd stopped all the hate.

He'd helped me see how worthwhile I was.

And I couldn't imagine giving away my time to anyone else other than him.


	20. Chapter 20

**_A/N: What!? Three chapters in one day!? Oh my! XD It's a short chapter though, sorry. But the next one may be a bit longer. _**

**_As always, thank you for the support, and enjoy!  
_**

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

"You're such a kiss arse, Near!"

"Says you!"

"Says EVERYONE! All you ever do is kiss up to L and Light!"

"And what's your excuse!"

Our fight had been going on all afternoon, our room being filled with nothing but yelling and arguing. It had started when Near said something about Light taking him for ice cream that day without me or Matt. I called him a brat, and things escalated from there. Matt didn't get involved, but we were so loud that he couldn't focus on his video game. So, he ended up just watching and listening to me and Near fight it out.

I clenched my fist. "I don't pull that 'cutie-adorable' crap with Light! If you've forgotten, he offered to be my mentor. You're just there because you have to be!"

Near folded his arms, a pout displayed on his face. "He only became your mentor because he felt sorry for you. And I can see why."

I lost control and grabbed the albino's shirt in order to punch him. Matt, however, got between us and kept me from going any further. I knew it wouldn't put me on any good terms with L or Light if I harmed Near, but goddammit did he piss me off some days! Him and his quick tongue and snarky wits!

"You know _I'm_ his favourite, Near! Just admit it!"

The white little fluff ball scoffed. "Sure, Mello. I'm sure Light _loves_ your little tantrums and rage sessions."

I went for a hit but Matt stopped it again. I was seriously thinking about pushing the red-head into the albino just to get some kind of damage done to him.

"Besides, _I'm_ the favourite. He always wants to cuddle me, and he always reads me stories. I don't see him doing that for you."

"Would you both shut up!?" Matt intervened. "It doesn't matter who Light loves more! We had this debate about L already anyway, and guess what… L loves all of us!"

I glared at the red-head, then at Near. The white haired freak glared back. Mentally, we both knew this was stupid, but it was still important to a bunch of kids. Especially when it came to Light. Him being our mother figure, it was best if we knew who he loved more.

Just when I was about to back off…

"Besides," Matt continued. "_I'm _his favourite."

Both me and Near punched his arms. Near took the right, I took the left.

"That's so not true!" I exclaimed. "C'mon Matt, you've done nothing to earn his favouritism!"

"Okay, first of all, OWW! Seriously guys, you know I'm fragile!"

"Sure, Matt." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

The red head continued to massage his arms. "And second, Light likes spending time with me way more than he does with you two. I don't have him settle any debates or ask him for anything. I just play a few video games with him."

"If anything that would make him hate you." Near commented.

"What! How!?"

"You're lazy, unmotivated, and completely oblivious to what goes on around you. Light is the opposite."

"Oh, like you know him so well." I jeered. "Honestly, you both know I'm his favourite!"

"Care to place a wager on that?" Matt offered.

I scoffed. "Bring it, goggles!"

Matt sneered. "Light's birthday is coming up soon. I say, whoever makes the biggest impression on him, is announced the favourite, and the other two have to do whatever the favourite says for an entire week!"

"I'm in!" I agreed, sticking out my hands in a criss-cross to Matt and Near.

"Same here!" Near mirrored.

Matt criss-crossed his hands and we all shook on it.

"Prepare to feed me chocolate for a week, losers."

"In your dreams." Matt scoffed. "You'll both be my personal cheerleaders and sing whenever I win a game. This includes after I prove I'm the favourite."

"Oh please," Near mocked. "I'll have you two carry me everywhere I go. This means classes, bathroom, and into the playroom."

"You both are so dead." I growled.

Our moment ended there and we each went our separate ways to plot out what we'd do to make Light favour us. I had my plan already though, and I just needed a little know-how and spirit to accomplish it. Hopefully, I could pull it off without anything going wrong.

What am I saying? I'm a genius! Nothing could go wrong for me.


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter! XD Hope you guys enjoy reading it!_**

**_Thank you again to all my followers, much love and appreciation!_**

**_(Also, sorry I didn't post sooner. Was out all day today. D:)_**

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

When I'd woke up that morning my day had already been better than any other. Why? Because it was my birthday. And the day started fantastically when I saw the rose left for me on the pillow L slept on, the card reading, 'Happy Birthday, Light-kun.'

I hummed at the pleasant warmth I felt in my heart. L, when it mattered most, was a very charming man. Other times I'd question it, but today was different.

I sat up in bed, but before I could even stretch there came a knock at my door. A small knock that indicated it was one of the boys.

Soon enough, Matt poked his head in and looked right at me. He then pushed the door open running to my side with a small envelope in hand. I picked him up and hugged him as close as I could, knowing he was here for one reason.

"Happy birthday, Light!" He exclaimed, hugging me close. The red head, I had to admit, was probably the sweetest of the bunch. He never forgot anyone's birthdays, and he loved giving hugs to anyone that needed one.

After I thanked him he handed me the envelope before sitting in my lap while I opened it. Inside was a well-made card with 'Happy Birthday!' written every which way and that, along with some 'I Love You's and a few hearts splayed on the inside.

As I said, the sweetest of the three.

I hugged him again after kissing the top of his head. "Thank you, Matt! That was very sweet of you!"

He hugged me back, snuggling into my lap. "You're welcome, Light! You know I'd never forget your birthday!"

I couldn't help but gush over how absolutely adorable this child was. But my day had only begun, and there was still two boys left.

There came another small knock and Near quietly stepped into the room. He was holding a small box of some sorts. Before he ran to my side, however, he seemed a little annoyed to see Matt in my lap.

He climbed onto the bed, his pajamas making it a bit difficult since they were two sizes too large, but made it to my side. He wished me a happy birthday while placing the box, which was a wrapped gift, into my hand.

I noticed Matt cross his arms and glare at the younger boy with distaste. Only then did I start to think something was up.

I opened my present and found miscellaneous treat items that had been sent over from Japan. All were the kind I had favoured the most while I lived there.

I was stunned, to say the least. "Near, how on earth…?"

My little fluff ball smiled while cuddling next to me. "L helped me get in touch with your parents and they sent me all the stuff you used to eat back in Japan. Plus, there's a small tin of Nan's cookies for you."

I grinned at the use of the word Nan. My mother had insisted they call her grandma, but the boys settled for Nan. She hadn't cared. To her, it was just as good as grandma.

I gave Near a tight hug. "Thank you, Near. You were very sweet to do so."

He hugged back. "I love you, Light." He said, glaring at Matt. "I'd do anything for you."

I swore I could hear Matt growl at that point. Something was definitely not being said here, but why ruin their fun?

Things were getting interesting now.

L had told me a few months ago that the boys would usually compete for someone's affections. It was best not to call them out on it and let things play out until they realized how dumb they were being. So, for the moment, I let them continue on with their little competition. Besides, things weren't over quite yet. If I knew anything about my boys, it was that they competed together.

And Mello was next.

Sure enough, another knock at my door. Only this time, it was L. He'd been carrying a silver tray when he'd walked in, with a knowing smile on his face.

He knew all too well what the boys were doing.

"Good morning, Light-kun. How is the birthday boy?"

I smiled back in the same form. "Just perfect, my love. My boys here are celebrating with me, so I'd say it's a good day. Well, Mello isn't here."

"He'll be right up. He has to finish his last preparations at the moment, but he sends you this early gift as an apology."

With that, he set down the tray and opened the silver lid revealing an array of foods made with the utmost care. All recipes from a traditional Japanese breakfast. Deep fried tofu, rolled omelette with dried seaweed, some Miso soup, and last was white rice on the side. All in traditional Japanese serving dishes. I didn't expect Mello to go so far for me, but a breakfast like this I couldn't turn down.

I'd gone wide eyed at how perfect it all looked. "The ten year old did this?"

L nodded. "He'd taken lessons from Wammy for two weeks so he could prepare this for you. He learns pretty fast. Not to mention the three tier cake he's making right now. Who knew he had a knack for baking and cooking."

At the moment I went silent, the two boys beside me followed suit. It wasn't long before they looked at each other, then ran like hell to find the blonde. Both were more than determined to stop his plans at winning my affection.

I didn't try to stop them though. Instead, I decided to just eat my breakfast then follow them afterwards.

L looked at me questionably. "So, if you had to choose, who would be your favourite boy at the moment?"

I sipped some of the Miso soup before answering. "Not gonna answer that. You'd just go ahead and tell them."

The detective sat on the bed beside me, grabbing some tofu. "You know me so well."

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

The competition was in the bag. I'd spent weeks planning and preparing for Light's birthday, and now I was looking at becoming his favourite for years to come.

Placing the tiers on the cake was easy. So now I just had to ice it, decorate it, and add some words. After this, I'd be the favourite for sure! Especially since it was Light's favourite flavour of cake; red velvet. And I'd made it all from scratch. Nothing could top this.

I'd just finished icing the last tier when Matt's voice rang out.

"You sneaky little bastard!"

I turned to him and Near with a glare. "Hey! My parents were married!"

I turned back to the cake to decorate it in red, edible, flowers, but had only been able to place one when I felt something hit the back of my head. I was taken by so much surprise that I almost fell into the cake before me. When I felt the back of my head, there was a squishy and slimy feel to my hair. Egg.

I snapped my head to him, face carved in anger.

It was then that the red head realized the severity of his mistake and ran for cover as I threw a fist full of flour at him. The flour managed to hit everything but him, though. So I grabbed some eggs and went running after to him. I managed to hit him with an egg, but Near had grabbed some icing and smothered my face with it. He tried to throw flour at me as well but ended up hitting Matt instead, and before we knew it, it was an all-out food fight between the three of us. No one was on a side but their own. I didn't even think about the cake but was glad to know it was safe for the moment, having been resting on the counter.

I was about to throw another egg at the albino when a familiar voice stopped us in our tracks.

"ALL THREE OF YOU STOP RIGHT NOW!"

When we had, we paled instantly as we saw Light and L standing at the doorway, anger carved on each of their faces. Looking around at the mess we made, I could see why they were so angry. Every wall, counter, and appliance had been decorated in food and ingredients. We weren't any different.

We dropped the food weapons and hung our heads in shame. None of us should have let things get this far.

Light spoke again. "What do you all have to say about this?!"

Matt decided to lighten the mood. "Well, normally 'sorry' would suffice, but I doubt that'll be of much help."

I slapped him upside the head for being stupid before I stepped forward. "I'll clean it up. It's my fault anyways, I shouldn't have retaliated when Matt threw the first egg."

Light then looked at Matt. "And what did Mello do to deserve that egg, Matt?"

The red head hung his head a bit lower. "Nothing." He murmured.

"Excuse me, young man?"

He flinched a bit. "Nothing." He said more clearly.

Light pinched his brow. "And Near, why did you get involved."

The albino only shrugged.

"Near." He warned.

The kid became teary. "I don't know."

Light then looked at me. "I don't know that I need to ask you anything. You already offered to clean up their mess. However, I think all of you should clean it up."

We all nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And another thing," he added, making us flinch in fright a bit. "None of you have to compete for my affections. I don't have favourites here, and I never will. And thinking that I would is incredibly dumb for children of your intelligence to believe. Please try to remember that for future reference."

We nodded again.

Light's face softened a bit as he leaned down to our levels now. "That being said, once this is all cleaned up, and you've cleaned yourselves up, we can restart this day on a better note. Alright?"

Once again, we nodded. After that, Light left the room and we got started on cleaning up.

Before we got to cleaning though, L smirked at us. "And just so you boys are clear, _I'm_ the favourite."

The three of us looked at each other, our minds read like open books.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

As I finished the last of my rice and tofu, having solved the problem with the boys, I heard the door open and almost choked on my food.

L strolled in, covered head to toe in food and cooking ingredients. His face was a mix of irritation and pride.

I swallowed the food I had in my mouth, trying my best not to laugh. "You just _had_ to egg them on, didn't you?"

He groaned, picking off some food from his shirt. "And in return, they egged me."


	22. Chapter 22

**_A/N: Managed to pop out one last chapter before I decided to go to bed. If I wake up early tomorrow, maybe I'll have a chapter ready. I'll have to play it by ear.  
_**

**_Once again, thank you my loyal fans, for sticking through this story. I know you all deserve better, but I am honoured by your compliments! I love you all!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

Although winter was coming to an end quite soon, it was still very cold out. However, Matt and Mello insisted on going to the pool for the day. It wasn't a terrible idea… for those who knew how to swim.

I may have been smart, as smart as L I might brag, but I knew nothing about swimming. In fact, I was deathly afraid of swimming. Humans were not meant to swim. They were meant to walk on land and stay on land. So what was the attraction with swimming? It was just a large body of water that could quite easily drown you within minutes. Yet, people went swimming! Why couldn't they see the dangers as easily as I'd seen them!? Especially Mello, who _loved_ swimming and had begged Light to take them for the day. Of course, Light said yes because he thought it would be perfect exercise for us. Damn that man! Yes he was looking out for our health, but damn him sometimes!

I felt my stomach churn the entire ride to the pool. Light had managed to get L to come with us, but he was more than reluctant. He tried to back out by saying he had a case to work on, but Light countered with the fact that he'd been bragging an hour ago that he'd finished all of his cases in record timing. Thus, the detective was forced to join us.

Mello had been bouncing up and down in his seat from pure excitement. The blonde hated winter because it stopped all the activities he did while during the summer. Football – otherwise known as soccer, badminton, tennis, rugby, and any other summer sport you could name. His favourite this year, from what I'd seen, had been martial arts. He'd practice the more impressive moves – flips, jumps, kicks, you name it. Mello was an active kid, and being stuck in the orphanage all winter drove him stir crazy. It didn't help that Light was much the same way and liked to do as many activities as the blonde. It's probably why he got his way today.

L noticed my nervousness, but when he'd asked me what was wrong I'd just kept quiet. I didn't like people knowing I had a fear of swimming. But I guess my fear may be more noticeable today if anything.

When we'd arrived at the indoor pool and had gotten changed, Mello head straight for the diving board. The poor blonde had so much pent up energy it was bursting out his ears… figuratively, of course. One of the lifeguards had tried to stop him, since he was ten and not supposed to be near the deep end quite yet, but L managed to hold the lifeguard back just a bit.

The blonde tied his hair back, leaving only his bangs in his face, the prepared to jump. He was on one of the highest platforms too, and more than one of the lifeguards were worried for him. L, Light, Matt, and myself, were just waiting for the show.

The chocoholic stood on the edge of the board, and with a fearless leap he arched backward and flipped for about two times before hitting the water in a dive.

A round of applause filled the room from what the ten year old had accomplished. And I truly believe Mello wasn't just showing off then. I believe he needed some sort of rush to get out of the stirring of boredom that flowed through him. Putting on a good show was just the icing on the cake.

He surfaced right away and began to relax in the water. L had now let the lifeguard go, but he had done nothing to stop the blonde. He gave him a wrist-band to let others know he was allowed to swim in the big pool, then walked off. The blonde had a much calmer look to his face now that his adrenaline had dissipated.

Matt still had to do laps to prove he'd be okay in the big pool, but I had to take it easy in the smaller pool with L. Fine by me, as long as I didn't have to swim.

For about a quarter of our time there, I spent the duration of it swaying my legs in the water while the others had fun. Even L, who hadn't wanted to go in the first place, ended up joining the four in the big pool. I urged him to go, since I hadn't wanted to hold him back, but now that I looked at them I wanted to join more than ever.

I kept swishing my legs in the water until Mello sat beside me. "What's up freak?"

I hadn't bothered to retort. I didn't feel like fighting him.

I guess that's what gave me away.

"Wow, not even gonna respond to that? You must be upset." He pushed my arm now. "Seriously, what's up?"

Was this a joke? Was he actually being nice to me? Must have been the chlorine.

I hadn't spoken, but I suppose he just read my mind. "You can't swim?"

I sighed. "No, Mello. I can't. You going to make fun of me now?"

He scoffed. "No way! I couldn't swim at six years old. But I _learned_ at six years old." He stood up then. "Jump in."

I looked at the water beneath and blanched. "Uh… n-no."

The blonde wasn't pleased. "Dude, I will kick you in."

I gawked at him. "That would kill me!"

"No, panicking and waving about is what would kill you. Instinctively, every human knows how to swim. It's a survival instinct." He then jumped in, careful to hold his legs to his chest so he'd sink without getting hurt in the shallow water.

When he resurfaced, he held out his hand. "I promise, you won't drown. If you don't trust me, then hold on to the edge of the pool to keep you afloat."

I felt my mouth go dry at the thought of facing my fear. However much Mello was willing to help, there was the possibility that I might drown.

But if Mello was really willing to help…

I took his hand, shaking from the fear, and jumped in. My head went underwater for a split second before Mello pulled me back up and kept me afloat. I started to thrash out of fear, but Mello calmed me down right before I could go under again.

"See? You're okay!" He commented before pulling my arm around his neck. "Now start kicking your legs! I'm not gonna help you too much here."

I wrapped my other arm around his neck, shivering ferociously, and tried to find my legs. When I had, I began kicking them.

"Too much splashing, Near." The blonde called out and I moved them so I was kicking more under the water than above it.

When we started moving forward, there was less fear coursing through me.

Mello seemed pleased. "You got it down, now add some arm movement."

A shiver of fear coursed through me. "B-but…"

"Don't worry, if anything happens I'll get you. You're a fast learner, not to mention a genius from the Wammy house. You can learn to swim as easily as you can learn quadratic equations."

Although I feared having to let go of the blonde, I gathered up all the courage I could…

And let go.

My head went under for a moment but when I'd added my arms to the movement of my legs, I resurfaced almost instantly. I hadn't noticed how far from the blonde I was until I'd reached the other side of the pool. I'd actually swam. For the first time in my life… I'd swam! Albeit it wasn't as graceful, coordinated, or practiced as Mello's swimming, but I'd still done it!

I looked back to my teacher, smiling brightly.

Mello grinned back. "Told ya you could do it!"

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

I watched on as Mello continued to teach Near how to swim. I was incredibly proud to see the blonde be so patient with the younger. I was even happier to see Near conquer his fear of swimming. I knew the poor little six year old was afraid, but having someone like Mello to help him, someone who he'd adored from the moment he set foot into Wammys, made it all the more special.

Light sat next to me as I watched them. "It's good to see them getting along for once."

I nodded, a slight grin on my face. "Too bad it's all going to end by tomorrow morning."

Light sighed. "Can't you ever just enjoy the moment?"

I looked back at my handsome brunette with a cheeky smile. "I enjoy the moment many times, Light-kun."

His famous eye-roll was his response.


	23. Chapter 23

**_A/N: Dear lord! I'm seriously starting to believe that there is something wrong with me, because I've been in and out of sleep for two days straight! I could barely keep my eyes open for this chapter. And believe me, I get more than eight hours a night so that isn't my issue.  
_**

**_Well, anyways, thank you to everyone and I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Sorry for any spelling or Grammar mistakes. I did my best to fix them before posting. :)_**

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I wasn't a great artist, not like some, but I managed to convey what I wanted to see.

I wasn't a very active kid, but I was certainly a creative one. I'd liked to draw and sketch, but I knew I couldn't go anywhere with it. Maybe I could be a manga artist. But that would mean practicing for years on end.

And as much as I was creative… I was twice as lazy.

Light and L were out for the day, my classes had just ended, and other kids were using the consoles in the playroom, so I brought out my sketchbook and started doodling in my room. Nothing much, just a few squiggles and cartoonish figures. I hadn't really been getting anywhere until I'd noticed the picture on the desk of me and Mello from a few months back. It was right before Halloween when the picture had been taken, so Mello didn't look too different from now and then.

I flipped to a new, blank page, and sat up straighter on my bed. Something about the way Mello smiled in the picture had made me want to draw him. However, with him in class at the moment, I couldn't ask him to be my statue.

Not that I would have anyhow, considering he hated sitting still for even a moment.

I started with the face and worked towards the hair. All in all, it wasn't too difficult to begin with. But after the easy part came the more challenging parts. I was careful to arch the eyes the same way his did, in an almost cat-like fashion with the mix of emotions behind them, adding in the catch-light made them stand out all the more. The nose wasn't too hard, but getting the mouth correct was incredibly tricky. His smile was smooth and clean, nothing jutting or crooked, with just a hint of his tooth being visible. Thankfully, all my hours of video gaming had taught me to keep my hands from moving too much or flinching, less I lose a life or have to start over again. The smile was completed to satisfactory levels, and soon I added the shadows.

When I was done, I held the drawn picture side by side to the actual picture and felt quite good about what I'd accomplished.

I continued to stare at my work, before feeling something in my chest start to ache. No… not ache… but it was something I hadn't felt before. Not since…

Not since I first met Mello.

_L had taken me through the hallways of Wammys Orphanage to a small playroom. I had been adjusting my goggles so they'd fit better. L had given them to me when I expressed how badly my eyes hurt in the light. I hadn't minded the orange tint of everything, but they weren't fitting on my head properly and I was starting to go absolutely insane._

_We stepped into the playroom and the detective walked me to the back of the room where a small boy was reading a book on the windowsill. He was an odd kid, with long blonde hair, and fair skin. He looked nothing like the kids in Russia on my street. All of them were filthy and loud mouthed, and none of them were the least bit kind to me. All because I was poor. Sure they were as well, but I was the poorest of the poor. My dad had spent all of our money on drugs, alcohol, and whores, and I had to scrounge around for food in the trash. Not to mention my skin was scarred from the heavy beatings my father issued to me._

_I was not a lucky child._

_Not until I met Mello._

_The blonde looked up at us, but spoke to L. "Who's he?"_

_My English wasn't great, but I knew what they were saying. I just couldn't speak it too well, even after the month of L teaching me to speak it._

_L gently placed a hand on my head. "This is Matt. He's a new kid here at Wammys. I was wondering if you'd show him around for me."_

_The blonde nodded. "Sure thing."_

_He placed his book down and slid off the windowsill. He held out his hand to me. "My name's Mello."_

_I hesitantly took his hand. "M-M-Matt…" I stuttered, quickly letting go of his hand. I felt stupid since I wasn't too good at English yet._

_Of course, Mello caught on. "You don't speak English too well?"_

_I shook my head. "Russian." I said, hoping he'd understand._

_To my surprise._

_"You don't need to worry. If you slip up, I can still understand you. I speak a little Russian."_

_"R-r-really?"_

_Mello nodded, taking my hand again and pulling me towards the door. "If I teach you English, will you teach me Russian? I can only speak a little bit of the language, so I make a few mistakes."_

_I nodded. "Okay."_

_When we exited the room I began fiddling with my goggles again. This caught his attention._

_"Why do you have to wear those?"_

_I tapped the goggles. "Eyes. My eyes."_

_"Your eyes? Your eyes what?"_

_I couldn't find the word so I pointed to the window at the sun. "Light. The light."_

_Thank god he was able to put two and two together. _

_"The light hurts your eyes?"_

_I nodded happily. Glad that he could understand._

_He didn't say anything more. He simply reached for my goggles but I flinched before he could touch me._

_"I won't hurt you. I just want to see your specs for a quick second. Could I please see them?"_

_I blinked a few times before slowly nodding._

_He grinned and slowly removed them from my face. His fingers were soft and gentle against my skin. It was something I wasn't accustomed to. But something I could quickly grow to love._

_When I'd seen him without the orange tint, that feeling in my chest started up._

_He had much nicer skin than I'd thought, no cuts or scrapes, no bruises or scars. His hair was bright and clean, brushed and well kept. He was thin, but stood tall and strong. And his eyes. _Those_ were what I remembered the most when we'd first met. Blue as the sky, but with an unending emotion to them that I had never seen in any other pair of eyes. And seeing them only made my chest hurt more._

_I don't know how long it had been before the goggles were placed back onto my face, but what I knew was that I didn't feel uncomfortable with them anymore._

_Mello smiled. "Better?"_

_I swallowed a bit of fear, then nodded._

_The blonde took my hand again and we resumed our tour through Wammys. The last thing I remembered from that day was never wanting to let go of his hand._

"Matt? Hey Matt!"

I jolted out of my reverie and saw Mello holding my sketchbook.

Oh bloody hell, he saw that I drew him!

I cringed a bit before seeing the look on his face. He was… happy? His smile said he was happy. But there seemed to be so much more to it.

I dared not look him in the eyes when he asked, "Did you draw this?"

I swallowed back my fear. "Um… y-yes?"

The smile grew. "Matt, it's so good! Why didn't you tell me you could draw?!"

I let go of the breath I was unconsciously holding. "I… thought you'd laugh at me."

He scoffed. "If anyone laughs at you it's because they're jealous of your talent!"

He sat next to me on my bed now, and suddenly that warm feeling in my chest grew a bit more. I couldn't say it hurt, but I just wish that I knew why it was happening.

Mello stared at the picture for a bit longer. "Just one question though." He then looked at me. "Why didn't you draw yourself in that picture? Or why is it just me and not the two of us?"

I felt my heart give a quiver before I shrugged. "I… um… I liked the way you looked. You don't need me in the picture to make it look any better." I took a moment to think of an excuse… but the truth just blurted out. "Without me, the picture is twice as beautiful."

The blonde suddenly embraced me and the feeling in my chest…

No… the feeling in my heart, had doubled in both warmth and delight. What it was… I was too scared to say.

I wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged tighter.

"Thank you, Matt. You didn't have to…"

"I… I think I did." I interrupted, feeling a bit scared.

Was this really how it felt? The warmth, the fear? Being unsure? Wanting to run away and stay all at once? Was it really how people felt? Was it how L felt about Light, or Light about L?

Was this… love?


	24. Chapter 24

**_A/N: Okay, warning, really sad chapter ahead. But, you need more than just the emotions around cute.  
_**

**_Please enjoy... erm... I guess._**

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

Something was seriously wrong with my boys. Matt had been avoiding Mello like the plague, and the poor blonde was more than hurt by the fact. More than once I'd caught Mello sitting by himself trying not to cry. When I'd asked him what was wrong, he'd said Matt had ditched him and wasn't speaking to him anymore. I'd told L about this and even he was dumbfounded by what Matt was doing. The two had been inseparable since the day they'd met, and now Matt wanted nothing to do with Mello? Something was seriously wrong with this picture.

I'd figured that I'd talked to Matt right away… but I had been too late.

I rushed around the halls to find the red head, but Mello had beaten me to it.

From atop the stairs I watched how it all went down.

"Matt, just talk to me!" Mello pleaded, following Matt who was trying to shake the blonde. The look on the red head's face told no more other than he'd wanted to stay by Mello's side.

However…

"Just leave me alone, Mello! I told you, I want to be alone!"

Lies. Matt hated being alone. So why was he telling Mello the opposite?

Mello grabbed his hand. "But Matt…"

Aggressively, Matt pulled his hand away and turned to the blonde. "Mello, go away. I don't ever want to see you, and I wish I'd never met you in the first place! So just piss off!"

And with that, the red head ran away.

The look on Mello's face was nothing short of pure agony. Tears formed around his eyes and a few trickled down his cheeks. The bright and happy blue that once made up his eyes, were a dull and lazy grey now. He was completely, and absolutely, crushed.

I quietly made my way to the blonde's side. He didn't even look up at me. He just kept staring to where Matt had ran off to.

Everything was quiet.

Cold.

Pained.

My poor Mello.

The blonde finally turned to me, but not looking at my face. He just lay his head on my side, and I took it as a go ahead to embrace him.

He was broken. Shattered. How could Matt have even…?

He started to cry… he started sobbing. And all I could do was hold him and hope for a resolution to everything.

L suddenly ran into the room and saw how much distress Mello was in.

"What happened?"

I petted Mello's hair to try and soothe him. "It's a long story, L."

One I was going to get to the bottom of.

I leaned down and held the blonde at arms-length. The tears were far from over, but I needed him out of the orphanage.

"Mello, you and L go into town and grab some ice cream. Get any flavour you want, as many scoops as you want, and as many toppings as you want." I wiped away a few tears on his face, but it didn't bring back the colour in his eyes. "Okay?"

The blonde nodded, beginning to tear up again.

I gave him one last hug before standing up and handing him off to the detective.

L told Mello to wait outside before turning to me and whispering, "What are you gonna do?"

I turned to look where Matt had ran off to. "I'm going to find Matt, and ask him what's going on. We both know this isn't like him. He would never be so cruel to Mello. To anyone. There's something wrong here."

He nodded. "See that you find out. I trust you to right the wrongs here, Light. Even if it's none of your business."

"That's where you're wrong. It's my business when one or more of my boys are hurting. And I'll be damned if I let this continue."

L nodded once more before turning back to the exit of Wammy's house and heading for the door. With Mello gone and hopefully taken care of, I could get on with finding out what was wrong with Matt.

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I couldn't stop the tears. I couldn't stop the feeling of utter pain in my chest. Most of all, I couldn't stop the memory of Mello and how hurt he looked when I told him to piss off. That hurt worse than any beating I'd taken before coming to Wammys. That drained and utter lack of emotion in his eyes. The blue eyes I'd loved so much were gone because of me. But I had done the right thing… hadn't I? Maybe the way I'd gone about it was wrong, but it was better this way.

I had to remember that.

I loved Mello. More than any video game, or stupid artwork I'd done. I'd loved him… so I had to hurt him. If I hadn't, then things would have only gotten worse.

I couldn't take that chance.

As I hugged my drawing of him close to my chest, I heard footsteps outside the closet door but I ignored them. It's not like anyone was looking for me anyway.

But I was wrong.

The closet door opened and my eyes immediately burned from the light coming through from my room. I had to take off my goggles to cry properly, and thought by the time I was done I'd already have them on before opening the door.

I squinted a bit and saw that it was Light who had opened the door. How ironic. Light opened the door, and it was light that burned my eyes. It was almost laughable.

If only I could laugh at the moment.

The man took out his phone with a display LED and soon closed the door. This time, I wasn't alone.

The LED illuminated the closet to show Light in front of me, his face contorted in anger and disapproval.

"Matt, what is going on?" He demanded. "You never spoke that way to Mello ever before, so why now? What has he done to you that could have made you hate him so much?"

At the word hate I began to cry again, but this time with more hiccups and pain. All of a sudden, Light was less angry.

"Or was it for a different reason?" He whispered to himself.

I looked up at the man. "I could never hate Mello, Light." I sobbed. "In fact…" I tried to calm down, feeling myself hyperventilate from the heavy crying. "I think… I think, I…"

The brunette got it instantly. "You love him?"

I hugged my knees close to my chest, crumpling my picture, nodding.

"Well then why did you say all those nasty things to him!?" He demanded, as angry as before.

My stomach churned a bit. "Because I thought it would be less painful than it would be if he turned me down."

The air around us seemed to still. "Why would you think that?"

I shrugged. "Because… because I'm… he's…"

I felt my heart sink a bit.

"Because he's perfect." I replied.

Light blinked. "What do you mean, 'perfect'?"

I gave a quick sigh. "For as long as I've known Mello, he's been strong, independent, loving, caring, and above all determined. I'm the exact opposite. I'm lazy, sloppy, I rely on others, I can't defend myself, and I have no idea where I'm going in life." My tears started up again and I cringed inward. "How could someone like him ever love someone like me?"

Light was quiet now. I suppose what I'd said had gotten through to him. But I didn't expect for him to stay quiet forever.

But I didn't expect what he'd said next.

"L is lazy, sloppy, incredibly unhealthy, and he has the social graces of a crow."

When I'd only looked at him with question, he continued.

"I am almost completely opposite. Why on earth should I have ever fallen for him?" After a dramatic pause. "Because we're both smart, witty, loving, caring, somewhat sick minded, and enjoy each other's company."

I felt my heart give a quick quiver of pain. The pain I'd felt from the first moment I'd met Mello.

Light grinned a bit. "Don't focus on what's different between you two. Focus on what you share. Be confident in your feelings. And don't ever think that avoiding possible-pain is going to keep it from happening."

He took my hand then, causing me to drop my picture. "Matt, with as much truth as you can, could you tell me what you think love is?"

Another quiver of pain, and I remembered all the times Mello and I had been together. To speak the truth, it might have been easier to remember all the times we weren't together. But each time had one aspect that was very much the same.

I looked into his eyes. "Love is… like a puppy."

He cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

I let go of his hand and smiled at my memories of being beside Mello. "Because, no matter what you've done, no matter who you're with, and no matter how long you've been away – be it five minutes or five days – a puppy will always greet you the same way each and every time. It's so unconditional, and absolute that you don't question it or find a reason for why it exists. It's there, and you enjoy every moment you have with it.

"And if the puppy runs away, then you have to believe it'll come back. If not, you've done something incredibly terrible." I frowned at this. "I've done something terrible, Light."

The man only smiled. "Your puppy hasn't ran off quite yet. He's just taking a walk. But it'll take some time to heal the wounds."

"I can't tell him how I feel just yet, though. He won't believe me. I'd be happy with just being his friend again."

Light leaned his head on his hand, looking down at the crumpled picture of Mello I'd drawn that I'd forgotten about. "Did you draw that?"

I nodded, wondering what he was going with this.

He grinned happily. "I think I can help you with getting Mello back."

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I hadn't enjoyed my ice cream too much. I was too sad and angry to. I just wanted to know what I'd done to Matt to make him hate me so much. All I'd done was be a good friend, hadn't I? Had I done something wrong? Did I hurt him?

L could see the questions in my eyes but didn't bother me to ask about them. I'd like to think he was just as dumbfounded as I was. This wasn't the Matt we knew.

This wasn't _my _Matt.

Not the Matt I loved.

I felt my heart shatter into pieces when he'd yelled at me. I'd done nothing but love him and he threw it back in my face. Maybe he just didn't know what love was.

Or maybe I didn't know.

We had walked back to the orphanage, my heart still torn apart. Ice cream couldn't dull this immense pain. Neither could chocolate. L had offered to get me some of my favourite chocolate, but I turned it down. I hadn't wanted anything but to run off and find somewhere to cry.

The sun was beginning to set when we arrived at the orphanage, and I was ready to just go to bed and wish this had all been a dream.

But before I had the chance, L had stopped in front of me causing me to bump into him. When I'd looked down his sightline I saw Light standing behind a very sad looking Matt. The red head didn't even have his goggles on. I could see why, too. He'd been crying, as much as I had been. If not, more.

I suddenly felt angry and looked away from him, crossing my arms. He didn't deserve my sight.

I'd wanted to cry though. Dear lord, how I wanted to cry.

Suddenly, a soft voice spoke up. "M-Mello?"

I opened my eye a slit to see Matt not too far from me. I wouldn't look directly at him though. He still hurt me.

The floor creaked a bit, indicating he had gotten closer to me. "Mello, I got you something."

I didn't care if he'd gotten me the whole world! Nothing could…!

"I know nothing will ever make up for what I've done." He stopped my thoughts. "And I wish I could tell you I had a good reason for being an arse, but I can't. Because I don't."

I opened my eyes a bit to see him take out a chocolate bar with a folded white piece paper attached to it from behind his back. On the paper it read, 'I'm sorry.'

I slowly took the bar from him and unfolded the paper to see the drawing he'd done of me… but had added himself from the photo.

He spoke again. "I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore. But f someday I could earn it back…"

I couldn't hear him over the thumping of my heart. This was the Matt I had loved. The one that cared for me and did incredible things to make me happy.

I folded the picture back up and he stopped speaking. The look of worry plastered all over his face.

I took notice of his goggles resting in his pocket.

And I smiled.

I grabbed the goggles out of his pocket and gently placed them back where they belong. His eyes were no longer somber, but full of fear, worry, and hope all at once.

My smile grew. "Better?"

Matt's smile took up more than half his face as he hugged me tight, elated that I'd forgiven him.

As I hugged him back, he started to shake with happiness. "Better."

Both L and Light seemed overjoyed to see us make up. In fact, L had been so stiff while he were out, I hadn't noticed he'd relaxed until just now when his slouch increased. Poor Light was going to get an earful from the detective.

I felt a bit cold now. I wanted to tell him more than anything. I wanted to tell him I loved him. But I was afraid he only thought of me as a friend or a brother. Which was alright with me, as long as I didn't lose him forever. But… it would have been nice to know. But I'm too sure he wasn't interested. Hell, he had fawned over Sayu for a bit, not to mention some other females in the past. I'm too confident I wasn't his… type.

Besides… why would he want someone like me?


	25. Chapter 25

**_A/N: Sorry guys. Been battling the flu, damn Canadian weather. Hope this short chapter pleases the masses for today. May not post another until Sunday._**

**_Enjoy and thank you all again for the support._**

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

I never made it a secret as to who I was. I never made it a secret where I came from. It just sounded like I was keeping it secret because I didn't speak about it. Not because I didn't want to, but because no one asked me about it. All except L.

But today that was going to change.

I had been in the playroom by myself, except for Mello and Matt who were playing on the gaming console. I say I'm alone because I didn't even bother to speak with them. Sure, we were on better terms than last year, but I never feel the need to speak. But I was glad they were there. Seeing them, how much they loved each other, it made me feel good.

I knew all about their crushes on each other. Normally, by adult standards, kids our age know nothing about love or what it is to fall in love. But kids knew so much more about it than adults. For instance, Mello and Matt. The way they looked at each other, or when one looked and the other didn't, it seemed so fitting. Mello's eyes always shine brighter when in Matt's presence, and Matt blushed profusely whenever the blonde complimented him. The two were always there for each other, always willing to put aside something for the other. And that made me happy…

But also sad.

Sad, because I was so unsure about what love was. Not the way it was portrayed… but the way it was expressed.

And that came from my past, I suppose.

I had just finished a game of chess by myself, having found a few more moves to better my chances at winning, when a certain brunette walked into the room. I had suspected he'd show up soon, since it was his job to look out for us as he was our mentor, but he had other jobs to do around Wammys. He helped L with cases, Watari with baking and cooking, Roger with dealings around the school, tutoring math and other various subjects… it was difficult to find a window open some days, but he always found time for us.

He sat across me after checking in on Matt and Mello. "Hello, Near. Would you mind a partner?"

"Not at all." I replied, resetting the chess board.

After Light made the first move, we began talking.

"So where have you been? I've hardly seen you in the past few days?"

I shrugged. "I've been in and out of class. But I've been tired lately."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Nightmares."

The brunette paused. "Nightmares, hmm?"

I nodded, not too sure how I should feel.

"What are they about?" He asked, genuinely curious.

I sighed a bit. "Nothing. They're meaningless."

"Sure, Near." Mello called from Matt's side. "You keep telling yourself that."

I only groaned a bit. I could admit, there was something to them, but I didn't know what exactly. It had been the same kind of dream from a few weeks back. Mello, Matt, Light, and L, were all disappearing before my eyes and laughing when all I could do was cry and scream for them to return.

I had gotten over them, though. Hadn't I? I felt no fear over them anymore, so I had to be over them.

Light moved his rook. "Sounds to me they're pretty serious if Mello even knows about them."

I hunched over a bit. "I guess. But they're so frequent that I've just gotten used to them."

"Do they involve anything important to you?"

I paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes," and I began to explain them to the man in front of me. It didn't help, however. I still felt… sluggish.

Light nodded after I finished. "I see. You're afraid of losing us. But why? You know we would never leave you, not intentionally."

I moved my king away from his bishop. "I do know that, but they keep happening to me. I'm losing sleep at night for them and…"

"Does this have anything to do with your past?" Light interrupted.

I blinked a few times before sinking inward again. L hadn't judged me for it… why should he?

"My family… my mother and father… they left me."

"Left you? Left you where?"

"In a store. A gas station, actually. Before then they used to tell me they loved me and that they would never hurt me. But now that I think about it, they didn't love me. They never hugged me, or gave me attention. When I was sick with the flu the only one to take care of me was my grandmother. My parents hadn't cared.

"Then when the baby came along…" I stopped there. Feeling my heart give a thump of pain.

Light had stopped playing by now. "What is it, Near?"

I looked up to see Mello and Matt looking at me as well as him, and the pain grew a bit more.

I gave a shaky sigh. "The baby was a boy, and he looked normal. Normal dark hair, normal eyes, normal mindset. _He_ was what they wanted. Not me. So they got rid of me.

"I left the gas station and tried to find my way home, but L found me first. He took me here, and I had a new home."

"I see. I suppose you're afraid of us leaving you. And you're incorporating that into your dreams."

"You think?"

"It sounds possible. But you don't have to worry, Near. We aren't horrid enough to do that to you, or anyone."

He placed a hand on my cheek and I suddenly remembered why I loved Light so much. Always kind, always soft, and always loving to us. To all of us. I admit I wasn't sure of him in the beginning, but when he was so willing to hold me and care for me, I knew he was a good man. And I was happy L found him.

I crawled over to the man's lap and cuddled into him. I was happy here. And I had to remember that. My parents were far away from me, and with the son they had wanted. But they lost out on having a brilliant child prodigy by their side. Their selfishness and uncaring attitude left them with a weak-minded prat, whose greatest success will be getting a burger of theirs added to the dollar menu of a McDonalds.

Boohoo for them.


	26. Chapter 26

**_A/N: Inspiration hits at the worst of times for me. Where other people get inspiration while they're reading or watching tv, I get it while I'm trying to rest my stuffed up head from being sick. -_-  
_**

**_Anyway, when inspiration hits, I can't ignore it. So, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. There may be more to come later on today, so be prepared. And thank you all again for the awesome feedback and kind words. Hell knows I don't deserve them. :)_**

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**(L P.O.V)**

However much I cared for my successors, and however glad I was that they were part of my life, I still felt like locking them in there room until I'd had sufficient alone time with Light. There were many times where I'd wanted Light all to myself, but they just had to beat me to him. If it wasn't Matt, it was Near. If not Near, then Mello. If not him, then Matt, and the cycle starts again. Of course, I couldn't just tell them to leave Light alone for a few hours. They were smart enough to figure out exactly what it was that I'd wanted from him. They weren't dimwits when it came to sex or relations. In fact, the three had even complained to me about the teenagers being too… loud, in some cases. I could sleep easily knowing Light and I were almost silent when it came down to it.

Unless we were completely alone.

But, however much I loved my successors, I had needs. Which is why I came up with a good plan to get alone time with Light, and make sure the boys were well taken care of.

As I was rethinking my plan over in my head, making sure everything would go smoothly with Light, the man of the hour himself strode through the door and hugged me from behind.

_'Excellent,'_ I thought. _'He's in a good mood.'_

I accepted the hug with a gentle nuzzle. "Good evening, Light-kun. How was your day?"

"Tiring, as usual. I had to tutor three students, at once, on the history of France – not to mention having to teach them French – and afterwards I had to take Near to the doctor for his headaches again, and when I came home I found Mello hiding under the couch because while I was out there was a storm and he couldn't find me to help him talk through it. I won't even mention Matt's escapade with the racoon."

I felt his arms get tense during the entirety of his rant. The poor man. I guess he wasn't in a good mood... it's hard to read with him some days. Maybe my idea was better for him than I'd anticipated.

I unwove his hands from my chest and turned my chair to him. "My poor Light-kun. You shouldn't be going through such havoc like this. And I haven't been too good with letting you suffer through all of it while I stay up here and work on case files. So, I propose we both go on vacation. Without the boys, and to the most secluded place we can think of."

The man cocked an eyebrow at me. "Next thing you're gonna tell me is that you have your own island."

I stood from my swivel chair and gently embraced Light, my hands on his waist and lips to his ear. "Now, would that be such a bad thing Light? Of course, if _you_ want to choose the destination, then go ahead. As long as we can spend some time… alone, how bad does my idea really sound?"

The man before me snaked his hands into my hair, practically melting into my touch.

"It does sound tempting. But what about the boys? They'd never forgive us if we up and left them here."

"So we don't leave them here. We leave them with your parents and Sayu. Two loving grandparents, and an aunt who's more than willing to get into shenanigans with them."

The whole time I spoke I glided my hands up and down his torso the way he liked and by the time I'd finished speaking, he was more than willing to cooperate.

"I suppose that isn't a bad idea. Spring break is coming up for the kids anyway, and my mother would be thrilled to have them over. But this means we'd be taking your private plane everywhere."

"I happen to know this, Light." I commented as I began kissing his neck.

"And that means no Watari to take care of you."

I'd slowly made my way to the bed and kept up my kisses, even after I had gotten Light to lay on the bed and arch at my touch.

"Yes, Light. Of course he wouldn't be around." I mumbled through the kisses, hiking up the man's shirt to expose his chest.

I was just about lost in my hazy state of lust when Light spoke up.

"And that means no sweets."

I stopped in my tracks. My lips pressed against his neck. Any tightness in my pants that I'd felt before was long gone.

I moved away from his neck to look at him. "You aren't serious."

The look on his face was my only answer.

Now I was facing a dilemma. Stay in England and have all the sweets I wanted Watari to make me, but be almost completely cut off from sex or anything physical with Light because of the brats. Or go to some tropical island, without the boys, having all the physical touches I needed, but no sugary sweets for the duration of my stay.

Light's lips curved into a sneaky sort of smile. The bastard knew. He knew I'd have to make this choice from the very beginning. And even worse, he was enjoying it. He was enjoying the fact that I'd lose either way.

I suddenly felt a leg brush against my arousal. It wasn't as hard as before, but it was sensitive. Light knew this as well.

"Ryuzaki," he purred, "L," his voice lowered a bit, "you have the choice of being with minimal candy, or minimal sex." He brushed his leg against me again and I groaned.

He then leaned forward and brushed his lips against my ear. "If you choose the vacation, I'll give you freedom to do whatever you like to me."

My eyes widened at this, but he was far from done.

"But, choose not to go on the vacation, and I'll have to punish you somehow."

My breathing became shallow. "I always knew you were a masochist to some degree. But you can really be a sadist, can't you?"

I could feel the smile coming from him. "More than you know."

Another brush against my arousal, and a soft bite to my ear and I'd made up my mind in an instant.

"We leave Saturday. Pick the destination, I'll give your parents a call."

Played. Like a cheap fiddle. I had my doubt Light would truly let me do _anything_ I wanted to him. If my deduction was correct, the man would do a bit more damage to me than I would to him. In fact, I believed all of this was more for him than me anymore.

This only made me love him all the more though.


	27. Chapter 27

**_A/N: Well now, one more chapter done! Writing for you guys really takes away the thought of being sick. Sorry if the chapters are a bit mediocre though. Running on fumes at the moment.  
_**

**_Anyways, i'd just like to say that there is some Japanese words in here, but I wrote them in a phonetical perspective. _**

**_Also, I'll be doing a readers choice right now. I'm caught between having the next chapter about the boys, or the next one being L and Light. I'll let all of you decide which would be better, and you'll see by tomorrow morning which I decided to go with. (Unless the scores outweigh one another, in which case it's unanimous)_**

**_At any rate, thank you all again, and enjoy!_**

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

"Repeat it again."

I groaned. "Come one, Light. Do you seriously not trust us?"

"After you set a hoard of squirrels into Roger's office, no. Now repeat."

We all groaned in unison before repeating what we were told to while at Nan and Sofu's. "We swear not to wreak havoc and destruction while on vacation."

"And?"

Sighs. "And not to give Sofu a heart attack."

Light grinned. "Well done. We should be landing soon, so keep that in your minds."

We sat across from Light and L on the plane and had been bombarded by the brunette's constant badgering about being proper in his parents household. Doing what they said, keeping our mouths shut, and furthermore, not getting into trouble.

Also, while on an eleven hour plane ride, Light brushed us up on our Japanese. If anything it was supposed to help his mom and dad more than us. Thankfully we were smart enough and caught on right away. Plus, a week beforehand, we took the time to learn more about the language ourselves. Matt had a bit more trouble than me or Near, but he caught on almost as quickly. It's just the pronunciations he had trouble with.

Although Light was teaching us, when he'd taken a nap on the plane, L had taught us a bit more. Though, there were a few things he shouldn't have taught us.

For example…

"Light, what do we call your dad again? Sofu, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, because he's your grandfather… of sorts."

"Then why did L tell me to call him… erm… what was it, Near?"

At this point L had gone wide eyed and shook his head when Light wasn't looking.

"I think it was, Furui tawagoto?"

Not a moment later went by before Light spit his water in shock back into his cup. To be honest, we had no idea what it meant, but it looked like it wasn't good. Well… L was laughing.

Light punched the detective… hard.

"How could you…?"

"I didn't think they'd remember!" L defended. "And you have to admit, it's not far off!"

"You're going to get me disowned by my parents."

L was still laughing. "You live with me, so technically you're already disowned." But this only landed him another punch from Light. "Calm down, Light! I could've told them to call him way worse."

Matt finally spoke up. "What is it that you told us to call him?"

Light had gone in for another punch but Matt speaking had stopped him. When he let go of L's shirt, he straightened up and said, "Let it suffice to say that if any of you repeat it again, I'll lock you in your rooms, no television, no video games, no chocolate, no plushies, nada, and zilch. Absolutely nothing!"

The three of us cringed a bit. Light meant business when he raised his voice like that.

"Got it!?"

We nodded. Suddenly, I wished now more than ever than Nan and Sofu were with us at the moment to protect us. Just a half hour left of flying.

Once we'd landed it was a short wait until we got into the terminal. Once there, our grandparents were waiting eagerly. Light's dad, who we knew as Sofu, was actually the first to hug us. But it was Nan that had almost popped our heads right off. I think the woman loved us about a tenfold more than L and Light did.

Here is where we switched over from English to Japanese. Of course, it was their native tongue and they spoke it with a fluency that we didn't, but we could understand quite easily.

"So, where will you two be headed?" Sofu asked.

L scratched his head. "Light chose to go to Hawaii, I said we should go to Rio. Guess who won?"

I huffed. "I still can't see why we can't go with you."

L huffed back in a mocking tone. "Because you three would be a pain in the arse."

"Says you."

"Says the world."

Light pinched his brow. "Honestly, it's like I'm living with _four_ little boys."

Nan giggled. "Hawaii is a wonderful place, Ryuzaki. You should be happy."

"Yes, but Rio has many natural wonders, plus the festivals there are said to be quite entertaining. Too bad we missed Carnival."

"And the only reason we did was because I knew you'd push me into the crowds just to watch me make a fool out of myself."

"No, Light. You are mistaken. I would have pushed you into the crowds so you'd learn how to dance like them."

Light sighed. "It's basically the same thing with you."

Sofu chuckled a bit. "Well, we'd better head home and let you two be on your way."

"I agree," Nan spoke. "My boys have to get settled in."

"Oh dear, Light. It looks as though your mother replaced you with three little terrors."

"Now that's not true. Come here, Light!" Nan let go of me and Matt to get up and hug her son who was backing away a bit. She even forced him to stay still and peck his cheek, much to Light's embarrassment.

Hey, it made us happy.

Once she was done harassing him, Sofu gave him a hug and goodbye, it was our turn. We'd be spending a week without Light or L, and the three of us were more than a little sad.

The two hugged us tightly, reminding us that they loved us very much. Light had hugged us a bit tighter than L, but I suppose it was the mommy in him. Having to let go of his children, the ones he was bringing up into the world. L had a hand in it… but Light was definitely like a mother to us.

Me and Matt let go, showing them we were strong, but Near held on tight. This wasn't good.

"Near," Light said calmly. "We have to go…"

"No!" He commanded. "You can't go! You promised you always stay beside me! That you'd never leave me!"

When he started to cry, I almost felt pity for him. He'd been abandoned by the people he thought loved him, and now people who _truly_ loved him, were leaving once again. There was a difference, though. L and Light would return.

L kneeled down to the six year old. "Near. We'll be back in one week. That's a promise, from me and Light. We wouldn't leave you all alone, that's why you're with Nan and Sofu. They love you like they'd love their own biological grandson. And we love you like you were our own biological son. Nothing, not even a dumb vacation will change that."

Near sniffled a bit. "You promise?"

The detective picked him up and hugged him. "Promise."

Near nodded half-heartedly. "Okay. I believe you."

L set him down. "Good. And believe me, if we were going to leave anyone behind, it'd be those two monsters." He gestured to us.

Knowing he was lying, Matt and I smiled stupidly while waving furiously.

Near chuckled before giving one last hug to the two men then running to my side. With that, our vacation – of sorts – had begun. We departed from the two men and were taken to our grandparent's home. From there onwards we were on our own.

Well… not on our own. We had our grandparents, and each other. After a while, we'd be okay. Including Near.


	28. Chapter 28

**_A/N: Yay! No more fever! But, I still managed to make this chapter sucky. :( Oh well, at least I'm not dying in bed from the flu._**

**_Well, once again, thank you all for sticking with me, and of course your generous feedback._**

**_Enjoy!_**

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**(Light P.O.V)**

Turns out, L had a home in Hawaii he hadn't told me about. And this place was huge. With three full bathrooms, a master kitchen with granite counters, a giant living-room space with a fireplace, and of course, his one on one vacation time with me wouldn't have been complete without the master bedroom. Not to mention the silk sheets, feather pillows, and king sized bed built for royalty. Something told me he'd recently called ahead for most of what was in the bedroom.

I guess he was more than craving one on one time with me.

It wasn't helping that I was making him wait for it either.

"Light, I swear…"

"What? I'm just unpacking. Surely you can wait just a few moments."

I heard him grumble. "I know you're doing this on purpose. You just love to torture me."

I grabbed my shirts, heading from the bed to the dresser. Trying my hardest not to show him my amusement. "You make it so easy, though. You act as if I cut you off sex for years."

"Well it sure feels like years." The man mumbled. "Especially with the boys always getting to your side first."

My eyes rolled instinctively. "You were the one that wanted me them to like me. Now that they do, it's a burden?"

"Not a burden, per se, but I'd like it if we got more time together than what we have now."

I grinned a bit more as I stored my now empty suitcase in the closet, then climbed onto the bed. Making sure to keep a close eye on the man before me. The moment he saw me finish with my unpacking the hungry look in his eyes just got hungrier.

I lay down on my stomach, facing towards him at the foot of the bed with my head resting on the backs of my hands. "You are an incredibly impatient man."

"Au contraire," he replied, crawling up onto the bed with me. "When working on a case, I can be accommodating if I have to. But when you tease me, that's another tale."

I hadn't moved from my spot. I simply stared him down. "I thought you liked being teased."

"When it suits me, Light." He retorted, crawling to my side. "But, this week should have some rather… interesting surprises."

I rolled onto my back to get a better look at him. "I admit, this was one of your better ideas."

The detective slinked his way on top of me, staring at me with lust filled eyes. "I couldn't agree more, Light-kun."

From then on no more words were spoken.

His lips crashed into mine and I was far gone in the haze of hunger and desire. I'd missed his touches, his kisses, and the closeness. I'd missed the days when we would run around behind my parents backs just to have that closeness. Those intense nights, those moments where we thought we'd be caught, only to get away with all of it and redo it all the next time we met. For the longest time I'd thought he was nothing more than an experiment. Something I'd never tried, and wanted all the experience I could get from him. But he was so much more than that.

Even before I knew he was L, he was a spice I couldn't find anywhere else in the world. Not in any woman, or in any other guy that was for sure. Something about him was perfect for me. I'd only ever questioned it once, but being unable to find the answer I stopped wondering. It didn't matter anymore. We were together and happy. That's all I needed.

We broke apart for air but it didn't give L any pause. He swiftly transferred his lips to my neck, moving his hands to my waste, and soon my vision went hazy. How easily this man could make me melt into his touch.

I kept my mind afoot though.

"I should tease you more often. We've barely been here a half-hour and you're ready to go."

I heard him chuckle. "You know how much I hate waiting." He mumbled in my ear.

My head started to swim with ecstasy when he began unbuttoning my shirt. His fingers being agile and swift as well as gentle created goosebumps up and down my chest. Once my shirt was off, things only got more intense. His kisses switched to my chest now, and I – being in a very hazy state – was fumbling to get his jeans off. He hadn't even tried to stop me, and I didn't stop him.

We needed this.

My shirt, his jeans, then his shirt, and my jeans. Maybe that was the order. I can't remember too well. All I can remember is the feeling of complete fullness. Of being overjoyed and lustful. I can remember the kisses, and touches. The feeling of wholeness, and being smothered with '_I love you_'s. Time slowed, and I felt myself get lost in the feeling of it all. And before I could even prepare for it, there was complete and utter release. Then falling into slumber, not before repeating _'I love you,'_ back to the man beside me.

When I'd woken up I felt warm. Whole. Fulfilled. In a sense, I felt everything. Everything that was good and peaceful.

I turned to the man who was sharing the bed. L was still asleep, but still had his arm draped onto me. He'd done this more than once since we'd been together. Although I was the more masculine form of our relationship, what with him being under my weight by about forty pounds, he more often than not would claim me as his. It was more of a jealousy thing than a loving thing. I suppose he felt that if he didn't hold me close enough, I'd run off with someone else. But I could never do that. I wouldn't even think of it.

I turned my body under the covers to fully face him, making sure his arm stayed where it was so he wouldn't accuse me of leaving. Once I was facing him I gave him a small kiss and drifted off once again. This week had only begun, and I could tell it would have a lot in store for the two of us. More than we'd first assumed.


	29. Chapter 29

**_A/N: New chapter! This one I enjoyed writing, despite having a stuffy nose and having to write it on my side.  
_**

**_Thank you again to all my followers for the suppirt and awesome feedback. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

It had been a full four days for the three of us. Each day more awesome than the last. To start off, Nan had taken us on a sort of tour around Japan to get us familiarized with the new surroundings. I was twitching profusely though when we'd passed by a game shop with some of the newest games not released in the UK yet. I had to remember that they were in a completely different language though, and Light had only given each of us fifty pounds, which had been doubled behind his back when L gave us another fifty, but converting the currency into yen I would've had more than enough for a game or two. Then again, I'd wanted more than a video game while I was there.

I'd wanted to get something for Mello. Something to show how much I loved him. But I hadn't found it on the first day.

The second day we were taken on a walk with Nan and Sofu, and I saw many pretty flowers in the park that I could have picked for him. But the thought of them dying made me rethink that. I didn't want to give him something that died. I wanted him to know that I'd love him forever, even beyond death. So the second day was pointless as well.

I'd found something promising on the third day. We'd been taken to an amusement park, of which I'd forgotten the name of, and had seen more than enough prizes to win for Mello. But my thoughts were halted once again. Cheaply made products would only win his affection if he were a stupid blonde girl who needed stupid trinkets to keep him happy. Mello was not stupid, nor was he female, and he didn't need a poorly made trinket.

So what was I to do?

Our fourth day was a rest day for Nan and Sofu. Mello and Near were happily watching T.V – making fun of Sayu for gawking over Hideki Ryuga – while I helped Nan in the kitchen. Mello would have been a much better help, but spending one on one time with her was nice. She'd always compliment me on how sweet I was to help her out, but I only blushed at that. I'd helped Light in the past, so why shouldn't I help her? After all, she was taking care of us.

I set down the empty bowl on the table, as I had been asked to do, then climbed into a chair to await further instructions.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Nan commented. "You've been such a good help to me today. Why don't you go watch T.V with Mello and Near."

At that moment, Sayu practically yelled, "IF YOU TWO SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT HIDEKI RYUGA…!"

I chuckled. "Uh, I think I'll stay in here. If that's alright."

Nan giggled a bit. "I don't blame you. Poor boys."

"I'm more worried about Sayu. Mello isn't afraid to scrap with a girl. And Near can be pretty resourceful himself."

Nan only sighed. "Well, as long as my house doesn't get destroyed and you all live to see the beginning of next week, I suppose you can fight it out. God knows Light had more than a few scrapes with his sister."

"I heard she won most of them."

Nan leaned in a bit. "Yes, but she cheats." She whispered before chuckling. "Poor Light barely had a chance."

I promptly laughed at this. "Then the playing field is even then! Mello cheats pretty badly as well. I'd love to see how this all turns out."

Nan smiled at me. "You're quite taken with that blonde, aren't you?"

My smile died and I looked away. "Well, we're friends. We have been since the day we met."

She now leaned on the counter. "But the way you look at him suggests you want to be more than his friend."

I was thoroughly surprised with her now. "H-how… how did you know…?"

She chuckled a bit. "These past few days you've done nothing but look for ways to show how much you care for him. The way you looked in the shops, in the meadow at the park, and yesterday at the stands. And each time you'd come home looking more sad than the last. I may not be a genius like my son, but I know when someone is in love."

I looked away again, blushing. "Could you try not to be so loud? I don't want him to hear."

She giggled again. "I think we're safe to speak here."

"I SWEAR, IF YOU TWO DON'T SHUT UP…!" Sayu began again. "I'LL… I'LL…!"

"You'll what!?" Mello challenged.

"Would the both of you stop yelling!" Came Sofu's voice from upstairs.

I had to hold my mouth to stop from laughing. "Okay, never mind. Speak freely."

Nan held a hand to her mouth as well. "Poor Sayu. Light was no match for her, but Mello is more than a formidable enemy."

I chuckled a bit before getting back on topic. "So, what do I do then? Mello is… he's so much more than any other person I know. He's always defended me, always fought for me, and has never once treated me like I was nobody. Not even my parents treated me with the love he's shown me. But, I'm afraid he'll reject me. And that thought hurts more than the thought of never knowing."

Nan's expression became both somber, but understanding. "Matt, it's better to know the truth than to wonder what might have been. I told this exact same thing to Light when he'd told me about Ryuzaki. He was so confused and unhappy, but more than anything he was scared. Scared he'd never be able to have his father's acceptance afterwards, and scared he'd never have Ryuzaki. But, if you love someone enough, the consequences shouldn't have any effect on you."

I only shrugged at this. "But I don't want to ruin my friendship with him."

Nan grinned as she strode over to the other room on the far end of the kitchen. "Follow me, if you please."

I hopped off of my chair and ran to catch up. The room we'd gone to was like the living room but had a small fireplace instead of a television. I suppose this was where the festivities or holidays were held if there was a large family gathering.

In this room she'd made her way to a small chest sitting in the corner. Once she opened it I'd taken a seat on the couch and waited for her to stop shuffling things around. Less than a minute went by before she'd grabbed a small box and then sat on the couch beside me.

"What I'm about to tell you is a story that happened to me when I was about Light's age. It was how I'd met his father, and how I'd almost lost the chance to have true happiness in my life.

"You see, when I was young, I was a woman of means. Everything I had was given to me on a silver platter. I had a stubborn father, but a mother who'd wanted me to have fun. I had two sisters, but since I was the youngest my father was more protective of me. My sisters were content with the life my father gave us, but I wasn't. But I'd hadn't realized how much he'd corrupted me until it was almost too late.

"Light's father, your grandfather, was not a wealthy man when he was young. He earned everything he had, and was barely able to afford the things he'd acquired. Not to mention the three jobs he had to support his family. His brother had gone off on his own and made an entrepreneur out of himself, but never helped out his family. The same went for his sister, having married a movie star and leaving them in the dust. Everything was on Soichiro's hands, having to take care of his mother, father, and grandparents all by himself.

"But things would soon change.

"After I turned eighteen I'd been sneaking away from my home to go out and see the world I was born into. This led me to a small coffee shop not far from where I lived… and where I met your grandfather."

I smiled at this. "Whoa. So, it's like a fate thing. That's so awesome!"

Nan giggled. "Well, it wasn't quite as romantic as you'd think. He'd been waiting tables that day and had spilled coffee on me by accident. The poor boy was so apologetic, he'd offered to pay for my dry cleaning, even knowing he had no money to spare. Of course, I couldn't help but fall for his innocent act and I waved off his offer. My parents were not pleased about the stain, though.

"I went back the next night and found him working again, but once he saw me he'd blushed a whole new shade of red. He still offered to pay for the cleaning, but I waved him off again. I hadn't come back to ask him for compensation. In fact, I'd gone back to ask him on a date."

"Whoa! Nan stepping up to the plate! You got guts!"

She laughed. "What can a say? I'm a softie for awkward men. And Soichiro was plenty awkward when he was young."

"Sofu! You're kidding me! The man's nothing but discipline!"

"He didn't start out that way. But it wasn't just how awkward he was. I felt like there was something more to him than at first look. And, within a few weeks, I was in love. He was sweet, kind, and was always trying to prove how much he'd loved me. However, with no money on hand and having to take care of his family, he struggled with finding the perfect way to tell me." She looked down at the blue box in her lap, smiling. "When my father found out about me and him, he'd forced him to come to our house.

"You see… I was promised to another."

"What? You can't be serious! Who?!"

"Some other pompous, rich man who'd wanted nothing more than my father's status. He hadn't loved me… but Soichiro had."

She opened the box. "My father brought my fiancé to our home, and commanded Soichiro to do the same. When both confronted, he was asked why they'd wanted me for themselves. When Soichiro replied with that he'd loved me, my father asked him to prove it." She slipped her hand into the case and pulled out a small, smooth, black pebble, about the size of my palm. "He pulled out this pebble from his pocket and gave it to my father. He laughed at him, along with my fiancé – a man who could've quite literally gotten me the world – and told him to get out of his sight.

"I was scared. Scared I'd never see him again, scared I'd live the rest of my life unhappily with a man I didn't love.

"But your grandfather spoke up.

"He'd said, 'I got that stone from Shinano River, the longest river here in Japan, to prove I'd love her for as long as I can. I chose the giver her a stone not because I'm broke, but because a stone is difficult to break. A stone won't die like flowers, and it was smoothed by the tides of time. It's been darkened by phases of care. Trinkets and the like show nothing for how much you truly love someone. That stone wasn't made by a craftsmen. It was made by time, and care. Love is made with time and care. What a better way to prove my love, than to give her something that purely represents it."

I was in awe of how truly beautiful his words were. Something so small and insignificant, that meant something so pure. It was breathtaking.

She placed the pebble in my hands. "My father was so moved by his words that he'd called off my engagement and allowed me to be with the man I loved. Not only that, but he'd taken the liberty of helping him into his career of policing, and took it upon himself to make sure his family got the care they needed. Before long, we'd had a family together, and I couldn't have asked for a better end to this memory."

I was almost teary at how beautiful her story was. She'd almost lost the man she loved, and had he never spoken up… had he remained shy and awkward… Sofu wouldn't be a part of our lives. Light wouldn't be a part of our lives. How much fate had played a role here.

She closed my hands around the stone now. "Matt, if you truly love Mello, if you wish to be with him, then give him this and explain to him all it means."

I was shocked. "No! Nan, I can't take this…!"

She chuckled and hugged me close. "It's alright, my darling. It's best it goes to you now so you can prove your love to another. Besides," she pulled away, "I'd offered it to Light to prove himself to Ryuzaki, but refused. He hadn't needed to prove his love, but you do. So stand up straight, keep your head clear, and go get the one you love."

I hugged her back as tightly as I could. "Thank you, Nan. I promise I'll tell him. I won't be left wondering what might have been."

She hugged me once again. "Good. Everyone deserves to be loved."

Just when our hug had ended, we heard a glass break and footsteps become louder.

Before long, Mello and Near ran into the room and out into the next hallway. Sayu followed suit, screaming, "YOU TWO ARE DEAD!"

Mello only laughed. "Gotta catch me to kill me!" Which in turn made Near laugh along with him.

Nan looked at me with question.

I looked back at her. "Don't give me that look. You fell for a bumbling busboy at a coffee shop who spilled coffee on you the day you met."

She looked away. "Touché."


	30. Chapter 30

**_A/N: Woke up early and thought I'd write a chapter. Congrats! Early chapter for all!  
_**

**_*Sigh* Not that I don't like writing for you guys, believe me I love it, but my sleep pattern is going to kill me before this story even ends. -_-_**

**_Well, nothing I can do about it for now. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you again for all the support! You guys are awesome!_**

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

It was night time now at Nan and Sofu's. I'd spent my day either running from Sayu or wreaking havoc on the girl. I still had a bit of animosity towards her for Matt's small crush. However much he didn't like her anymore, I still felt a bit territorial. I suppose I'd have to give up on him eventually, but the thought was difficult to process.

When I'd first met him at Wammy's, all I'd wanted to do was be beside him. I hadn't known why until much later on. Not until he drew that picture of me. However, unlike him, I was all too sure about my sexuality. Girls were of no interest to me, but I'd seen Matt crush on a few girls and some guys. I couldn't quite get a read on what his actual feelings were about me though. Of course I wanted to know the truth about what he thought of me as, but I was also scared of it. What if I got my heart broken? What if he fell in love with someone else?

I sighed to myself and rolled over onto my side. Normal kids didn't have to think about this stuff at ten years old. Normal kids got to wait at least six more years before worrying about something like this. But me? I had to deal with it now. There were times where being more mentally mature than regular kids made me depressed.

I finally sat up in bed, looking at the two others who shared it with me. The bed was big enough to hold three scrawny kids, with leg-room to spare, but I was a little too close to Matt at the moment.

I hopped off the bed quietly and padded my way over to the window, opening the screen door and walking out to the balcony. I really didn't envy Light too much for living here. His room was spacious, but his view of the outside world wasn't like what was at Wammy's. No silvery light of the moon with it being blocked by buildings, the only source of illumination coming from street lights. The only thing he had here was a peaceful area free from crime.

Still, I wondered if he missed all this. Would he miss us if he left? _Did_ he miss us?

I'd gotten lost in my thoughts when a certain red head popped up beside me, trying to find what I was staring at. I hadn't noticed him right away, but wasn't startled to find him there.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not a wink. Maybe I'm scared of having a nightmare."

It was a latent lie and he knew it.

"C'mon Mel, you haven't had a nightmare in weeks. What's the real reason you're up?"

I rested my head on my arms, still looking out toward the city. "I don't think you'd understand."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

I didn't know what to say. I was too frightened to tell the truth, but at the same time this may have been my only opportunity to speak my mind.

My fears stopped me though. And the thought of losing my friendship with him overpowered my desire to know the truth. So, I only told half of the truth.

"Do you ever wish you were… normal? That we weren't these special kids with genius-like abilities. Do you ever think our lives would have been better off if we were the same as everyone else?"

Matt was silent for the longest time. The only indication he was alive was his breathing. He hadn't been wearing his goggles so I could see his eyes. Calculating, thoughtful, yet still so full of life. That's what I loved most about him. His eyes were always full of life, nothing dead or broken in them. They weren't like L's when he worked on a case, or Watari's whose were full of wisdom and knowledge. They were his eyes. And there were days I was too sure I would get lost in them if I stared for too long.

He took a breath. "There are days where I wish I was a normal kid. Where I didn't have to worry about making a good impression in the Wammy house. I sometimes wish L had never found me, or that I wasn't born with the high ranking intelligence I have. I sometimes want to run away from the orphanage and begin a new life with a regular family. To go where I'm wanted and not needed. Sometimes… I just want it all to end. To be free from the doubt, the pain, and the fear. And when I close my eyes at night, I sometimes wish I never woke up."

I felt my heart cave in a bit. I hadn't known he felt like this before. Was I truly so out of touch with him?

He straightened up a bit. "But, every time I open my eyes, I'm happy. Happy, because I have so many people who love me. L, Watari, Near, Light… and you. Then I think to myself, 'What do normal kids have that I don't?' I may not have the freedom they have, but that'll come in time. Besides, I'm more mature than them but that means I appreciate having fun. Laughing, smiling, it's all natural to kids whether you're a genius or not. We just learn to appreciate them more."

I felt a grin slowly creep up on my face. "I never thought about it like that."

Matt shrugged. "I guess I'm just smarter than you."

I playfully punched his arm making him giggle. After our talk, we went silent once again. And I had yet another chance to tell him how I felt. It was nerve-wracking though. Intense and scary, but I knew it had to be done. I didn't want to be left with the thought of never knowing the truth.

I turned to speak to him, but he'd spoken first.

"Mel, I need to tell you something."

He hadn't looked at me. He just continued to look at his nails. Something in his eyes had changed. They weren't full of life anymore. They were filled with… worry. Concern. Fear. So much was going on that I couldn't put a name on all of it.

"What is it, Matt?"

It looked as if he was choking on his own words. His lips twisted to the left and right and I could see him shiver just slightly. That's when I noticed he had something in his hands. Something small, but smooth, and he held onto it like it held the secrets of the universe.

He breathed in, closing his eyes. "Mel, I lo–"

Darkness. Darkness and struggling. Someone had covered my eyes, and was holding me back. Someone had gotten to Matt too. I could hear him trying to scream through the leather clad hand. Near was no different. I could hear him screaming too. They we scared. I wasn't far off.

That's when I noticed the peculiar smell. Then the cloth. Bastards.

I dropped to the floor and watched hazily as our assailants regrouped in our room. I looked to find Matt and Near on the floor with me. Beside Matt was a small pebble, no bigger than my palm. Something about it made me somewhat happy. Why that was I couldn't understand.

The last thing I saw before going under… Matt's eyes were closing… I beg him not to… why can't he hear me?

The darkness enveloped me completely.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I lay on the bed with nothing more than pure ecstasy running through my veins. These past few days had been pure magic to me. Ultimately the best vacation I'd ever been on. L had calmed down quite a bit himself, having being satisfied surely and completely. I had to admit, this was truly one of his best ideas.

L moved his thumbs over my back between the shoulder blades. The man was excellent when it came to a massage. I'd have to pay him back fully for this while we were still here. Or maybe extend the vacation just a bit. I almost didn't want to leave.

L finished his massage and lay down on top of me, his lips to my neck once more. Before he could start anything however, a blaring ring called through the room.

"What is that?"

L quickly jumped off the bed without answering me. I was incredibly annoyed by his lack of attention until I saw him pull out a cellphone. It wasn't the phone he used to call me or Watari, but he seemed more than worried for why it was ringing.

He answered immediately. "What is it, Watari? What's the emergency?"

My heart stopped. Emergency? What on earth…?

L's face turned from serious into complete and utter fear. It wasn't like him to be fearful of anything…

This wasn't good.

He looked at me, eyes dead with panic. "The boys have been kidnapped."

* * *

_**A/N: You know what, I've been getting a lot of feedback about how fast I post chapters. I'm thinking I'm gonna leave you guys at this cliffhanger for a few days. Maybe get my sleep schedule back on track. Maybe I'll even take the week off. :)**_


	31. Chapter 31

**_A/N: Psych! Did you guys actually think I was going to wait a week to post a chapter? I can barely wait a day! XD  
_**

**_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because it's the finale of this story. No joke, it's the last chapter. However, there will be a continuation of this story, a sequel if you will, that takes place when the boys are in their teen years. I know the last few chapters have centered around Mello and Matt, but it has to be done for the sequel to make sense. Also, just so you know, I hope to be making two sequels, and a prequel. So, after this chapter, look out for a new installment!_**

**_With all that being said, please enjoy the finale! And once again, thank you all for your generous support through this story. It's been a blast writing it!_**

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

_"Mel, I love you." I blurted out, hoping for the best. I'd done it. I'd given my heart to him. But would he accept me?_

_Silence only followed and I almost cried from the pain. I'd wanted to hear him say it back, but he hadn't. Of course he didn't. Why should anyone love me? Besides, Mello was perfect and deserved someone who was just as perfect as him. Someone who would hold him and tell him they loved him every hour of every day. I would have done so if asked… but I wouldn't get the opportunity._

_I suddenly felt a kiss to my cheek and my heart gave a jolt of hope._

_I looked at him, and the blonde was smiling. "I love you too, Matt."_

_I felt my heart beat a thousand times a minute and my head explode with pure joy and happiness. It was like having every dream and hope given to me on a silver platter. I could hardly contain my absolute and utter joy. _

_I hugged Mello close to me and the blonde hugged back. I had begun to promise myself that I'd never let go until…_

_The Mello in front of me began to disappear and dissolve into sand. Slipping through my fingers and away from my grasp. I was suddenly in a realm I didn't understand. Everything was empty and cold. Dark and foreboding. I screamed for Mello to come back but no one, not even I, could hear my voice. I was scared, cold, and wanted to run away. But something kept me in place, like someone had nailed my feet to the floor._

_Before I knew what was going on, I heard low chuckling from behind me. I tried to turn to see who it was, but my feet kept me in place. It wasn't long until the person who'd made the chuckle strode out in front of me, and my heart sank._

_"Mello?" My hollow voice whispered._

_He was dressed all in black, and looked at me with disdain. "What an utter fool you are. How could you possibly believe that I'd ever love something like you? You're filthy, ignorant, lazy, and you have the IQ of a toaster. Why should I waste my time with you when there's others out there who are more perfectly suited to me?"_

_My heart shattered. The joy I'd felt before… it was all gone._

_He smacked me clear across the room now, my feet becoming unhinged from their place. My face now stinging from the tears and his powerful hit._

_He strode over to me. "GET UP!" He demanded, his voice changing into a deeper, more demonic voice._

_I shook my head, but that landed me another smack. _

_"GET UP!"_

My eyes opened a bit, but the hand still came down across my cheek. Only this time, it wasn't Mello's hand. It was some man's hand. That's when I realized I was gagged and tied up. Everything I'd seen before was just a dream. I still hadn't told Mello yet. No… that's right! We'd been kidnapped!

The man looked at me now. "Good. You finally woke up." He turned to another man who was across the room. "What the hell were you doing using so much chlorophorm on this one?!"

"The bottle slipped! I didn't know he'd be out for so long!" The other replied.

Looking around I saw there were five men. Two of whom were standing beside Mello and Near who were tied together and gagged. Mello looked as if he'd been crying, and Near was shaking in pure terror.

The man before me looked at Mello now. "There, blondie. You happy now? Your boyfriend's awake and fine. You gonna stop being a pest?"

Mello's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. I knew, I just knew, if he hadn't been tied up that the blonde would have torn them all to shreds.

I looked around again. This time surveying my surroundings. We were in a factory… abandoned… maybe a meat locker or something. We were still in Japan, considering our kidnappers were Japanese and speaking such in front of us. Not only that, but they had a computer system rigged up in front of us. They took us for ransom, and they were going to contact the police. They were going to contact Sofu it looked like.

If they only knew who we really belonged to.

The man grabbed the scruff of my shirt and dragged me to Mello's side. I was thrown to him and landed with my head on his lap.

"Now stay there! You three are in no position to disobey us."

I suddenly heard the clicking of guns and two pistols were pointed at us.

"Do as we say, and you three will be home in no time." He looked to the men at the computers. "Get into contact with Soichiro Yagami! He's the one we need to negotiate with!"

And with that they went to work.

I was scared, but I made sure not to show it. These men lived off of fear, and I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing how truly terrified I was.

Mello's legs suddenly moved upwards, pushing me slowly to his chest. Before I knew it, he was holding me close to him, as best as he could, and hugging me. Of course, with his hands tied behind his back, it wasn't a normal hug. But he'd been so worried about me that any sort of affection he could muster would have to suffice.

I felt something hit my face. A raindrop?

No…

A tear.

Mello was crying again. Out of happiness? Most likely. I couldn't even imagine how hard it was for him to see me get beaten up with him being helpless to come to my aid.

I felt my own eyes tear up. _'I'm so sorry, Mello. You must have been terrified. And I wasn't there to be beside you. But I'm right here. Please hear me! I'm right here!'_

I screamed my thoughts at him. Begging him to stop crying. To find strength and courage. Telling him we'd be alright, that we'd go back to Nan and Sofu's. I promised him that we'd go back to Wammy's and everything would go back to the way things were before. With L and Light, with Wammy, with Roger and all the other kids. I promised him I'd be by his side forever.

My tears rolled down my face. _'I love you, Mel. Please stop crying. You're too perfect for tears.'_

I wanted to believe he heard me. But I doubt very much that he had.

I closed my eyes and prayed. _'God, I know I haven't spoken to you in a long time, but if you could find it in your heart to save Mello. To save him and Near, even at the cost my own life, please do it now! Save my family! Save the people I love!'_

All of a sudden, the lights went out. Everything was pitch black. Before we could even question it though, the computers turned back on and a screenshot of an 'L' was before the men.

All three of us knew what was going to go down.

And it wouldn't be pretty.

The speakers turned up, and the disembodied voice came forth. _"Good evening, gentlemen. I don't believe we've met._

_"I am L."_

The men started shaking in fear, but the leader stood strong. "Who the hell are you!? Where's Yagami!?"

_"He is with me at the moment. And was not pleased to hear his grandson's had been taken from him. He contacted me right away, and I responded immediately."_

While the voice distracted the men I got to my feet and gestured towards the stairs to Mello. He got what I meant almost instantly and relayed the plan to Near. The two helped each other up and worked in unison to follow me to a safe cover. Luck be with me, there was some shattered glass there and I worked defiantly to get the ropes cut from my person. When I was done with that, I would help Mello and Near out of their binds.

The voice continued, growing angrier with each minute that rolled by._ "I have a pretty good idea what you five are looking for, but I assure you that you won't get your ransom."_

The leader looked at us through the stairs. "Hey!"

He made a step towards us but his foot suddenly burst into pieces, splattering blood everywhere. L had someone in the building. They had a silencer and an incredible aim.

The man fell to the floor and his comrades began to sweat. _"I'd advise you to stay away from my children."_

The men paled at this mention. L had successfully struck fear into their hearts.

My rope finally cut and I was out of my binds. I took the gag out and quickly made work of Mello and Near's bonds, but not before ungagging them as well.

While I'd been doing this, L had gotten angrier.

_"You all really are despicable. Disgusting, low-life, scum that don't even deserve the names your parents gave you. Kidnapping children, beating them, taking away their innocence! How DARE you! I've met murderers who had more respect than this! You five make me sick! You're vermin to the very core!"_

He paused now, a silence hanging in the room like a spider in its web.

The bonds came loose now and both Mello and Near hugged me tightly.

We looked back at the men. Two of the computers shut off, leaving three on and the room became darker. Then there were two… then one.

L's voice was hushed now. _"And vermin should be exterminated."_

Darkness once again. Before I knew it, there were gunshots and screams of people dying. I held onto the two as tightly as I could, feeling my heart race with fear. I knew we'd be safe though. L would make sure of it.

No one messed with his family.

The bullets stopped firing and the lights slowly flickered on once more. I dared not to look though. We may have been prisoners, we may have wanted our captors to die, but it was best that we didn't see the carnage.

I heard the doors open and multiple footsteps enter the warehouse, but I kept my eyes averted. Mello and Near as close to me as I could let them.

A hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Light right beside me with blankets.

He kneeled down. "I want you boys to wear these over your heads. Keep your eyes shut, hold each other's hands, then I'll guide you out. None of you need to see this."

We all agreed and did as told. I grabbed Light's hand, Mello grabbed my other hand, and Near had Mello's. We shut our eyes and were guided away from the scene before us. Before long we were out in the sunlight and we could open our eyes again. I kept mine at a squint since my eyes were sensitive to the light, but it wouldn't be long now before I had my goggles.

After the police questioned us, we were allowed to go home with Light and Sofu.

While Sofu went to get the car, Near and Light waiting together by one of the police cruisers, Mello strode up to me with an almost worried expression. "Matt?"

My heart began to sink a bit. "Yeah, Mel?"

No words. He just took a breath and kissed my cheek. Just like in my dream, but so much better than I'd envisioned.

Mello smiled, hugging me close. Still no words to be said.

And that was alright. I didn't need to tell him I loved him. Whether we said it or not, we both knew how much we cared for each other. I doubted that we'd start anything now, not with us being kids and unknowing of the real deals with love. But we knew the concept of it all. I knew I loved him, he knew I loved him, and vise-versa. But it was better that we waited until we were more mature and understood each other better. But I could wait a few more years. I doubt it would take too long.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I had been so afraid for them. So afraid… but so angry. L was no different. He'd been fuming when we'd gotten to Japan and had created a plan within hours of finding out about them on how to get them back. Of course, it involved having to tell my family who he really was. My father was shocked, to say the least, but had put his feelings aside in order to get our boys back.

I hadn't wanted L to kill the men. But he was too angry to let them live. I only asked that the boys don't see the killings happen in front of them. He agreed, saying it was more than fair.

Now I had them back. I had my Near, my Matt, and My Mello. Even more, it seemed Mello had Matt, and Mat had Mello.

I watched them hug each other. I had been worried from the start that they wouldn't be able to be together. Then again, my mother worried for me and L in the beginning, but everything had worked out fine.

Near shifted in my arms, looking at the other two successors. "Eww, they aren't actually going to be together are they?"

I looked down at him. "And what's wrong with that?"

"Well, we are technically brothers. Aren't we supposed to be a family?"

I hugged Near closely. "We _are_ a family. I see nothing wrong with them wanting a relationship in the future."

"In the future? Why not now?"

As much as I hated to say it. "They're too young right now. They understand the concept of love, but when you get older you start to realize more about yourself. Who you are as a child, and who you will be as a teenager or adult will be completely different. I'm all for them starting a relationship in the future if they still want to be together. But now is not the best time."

"Then why did you and Nan want them to confess to each other?"

I pet his hair down and cuddled him closely. "Because now that they know the truth, it'll be easier in the future for them to spark up something together. It won't be a lifetime of thinking what might have been."

Near seemed to understand what I meant. "And… you're going to help them, right?"

I looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're staying with us, right? You're staying with L?"

I smiled at him, hugging closely. "Of course I am. We're a family. Family is forever."

My little fluff ball hugged me tightly, a smile appeasing his face. Before I knew it, two other sets of arms wrapped around my legs and I found Mello and Matt below me. My family was back together. It was an odd family. Two fathers, one being the mother figure and the other having an unhealthy diet of candy and cake, three genius terrors, two of which falling in love before my eyes and the third having hair whiter than snow, and an old man who did wonders with a sniper rifle.

Speaking of which, I'd have to thank Watari later for his efforts in helping the boys.

Even knowing all this, where others would run and quite possibly get out of the country, I was more than happy to stay. I'd left my home to live with the man I loved. Now I had everything I could have possibly asked for.

And my time with them was nowhere close to ending. Not for a while yet.

_~To be Continued~_


	32. Notice

_**A/N: Just so you're all aware, part two of the series is now up and running. I decided to post the first chapter right away to keep you all from waiting for too long.**_

_**Please enjoy the part 2, labelled, "New family Bonds" which you can find on my profile. :)**_


	33. Notice22

_**A/N: So, yes, another notice, but this one I'd like to know what story I should write next in this universe that I've created. There's enough of you who can help me come up with some ideas, and I know a few of you spit-balled some really good story ideas... but being as busy as I am I tend to forget things. :P**_

_**So, if any of you have some ideas please leave a review or PM me and I will get back to you! If I choose your idea, I shall mention you in the first chapter in my authors note and send you a million dollars! (Not really since I'm broke, but you will be my new best(online) friend!)**_

_**And with that, I'm gone. Love you all!**_


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